"Enigma is the second studio album from Americanhip hop artist Keith Murray, released November 26, 1996 on Jive Records. The album peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard 200 chart and reached the sixth spot on the R&B Albums chart. Leo Stanley of Allmusic
noted Murray's improving rhythmic skills, stating that Murray's
defiantly East Coast style of production "can make the record a little
monotonous, but his kinetic verbal energy keeps Enigma exciting and fresh."

"Hell on Earth is the third studio album by East Coast hip hop group Mobb Deep, which was first released on November 19, 1996, on Loud/RCA/BMG Records. The album is largely a continuation of Mobb Deep's previous album, the critically acclaimed The Infamous. The album is produced by Havoc and Prodigy and also features guest appearances by emcees Nas, Raekwon, Method Man, and frequent collaborator Big Noyd. The album stands out for its acclaimed singles "G.O.D. Pt. III" and "Hell on Earth (Front Lines)," as well as “Drop a Gem on 'Em," a response to 2Pac's diss track "Hit 'Em Up." The album, one of the earliest enhanced CDs, also contains an additional track (“In the Long Run”) that at the time, had to be unlocked with the use of a computer."

"Licensed to Ill is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys. It was released on November 15, 1986 by Def Jam and Columbia Records. It was the first rap LP to top the Billboard
album chart. It is also one of Columbia Records' fastest-selling debut
records to date and eventually sold over ten million copies in the United States.

The full album cover, front to back, features a Boeing 727 — with "Beastie Boys" emblazoned on the tail — crashing head-on into the side of a mountain, appearing as an extinguished joint. The tail of the plane has the Def Jam logo and the tail number "3MTA3" which spells "EATME" when viewed in a mirror.The livery of the plane is based on that of American Airlines.

The group originally wanted to title the album Don't Be a Faggot, but Columbia Records refused to release the album under this title – arguing that it was homophobic – and pressured Russell Simmons, the Beastie Boys' manager and head of Def Jam Recordings at the time, into forcing them to choose another name.Adam Horovitz has since apologized for the album's earlier title. The band then settled with Licensed to Ill, which is a pun on James Bond's Licence to Kill.

Kerry King of Slayer made an appearance on the album playing lead guitar on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" and appeared in the music video which is a parody of glam metal. The name of the song itself is a spoof on Motörhead's No Sleep 'til Hammersmith album. King's appearance on the track came about because Rick Rubin was producing both bands simultaneously (Slayer's Reign in Blood was originally released a month earlier on Def Jam).

CBS/Fox Video released a video album of the five Licensed to Ill videos, plus "She's on It" in 1987 to capitalize on the album's success. A laserdisc version was also released in Japan.
All versions of the CBS/Fox release are currently out of print because
the rights to the album passed from Columbia and Sony Music to Universal Music Group, and also because of the acrimonious nature of the band's departure from Def Jam Records. Until the 2005 release of the CD/DVD Solid Gold Hits, none of the Def Jam-era videos had been included on any subsequent Beastie Boys video compilations. The Solid Gold Hits
DVD includes the videos for "Fight for Your Right" and "No Sleep Till
Brooklyn", as well as a live version of "Brass Monkey" from a 2004
concert."

"Penicillin on Wax is the debut album by rapper Tim Dog. This album contained the infamous underground hit "Fuck Compton" which disses West Coast hip hop. The intro used the same beat as N.W.A's "efil4zaggin"
album intro. Tim taunted "I stole your beat and made it better, to show
the whole world that you ain't nothing but a bunch of pussies" before a
number of disparaging answering machine messages supported Tim's
position. Tim rapped: "Wearing all that black, driving them cars, but
you still look wack!". A skit called "DJ Quik Beat Down" was a forty-second audio snippet of Tim Dog physically assaulting DJ Quik. The track "Step To Me" taunted Compton rappers and included the line "DJ Quik he can suck my dick". "Michel'le Conversation" was a skit where a Michel'le soundalike
called Tim Dog to complain about Tim's Compton diss, but then ended up
admitting she was "tired of him (Dre) beating down on me" and for Tim to
"Call me when you're in town". The track "Goin Wild in the Penile" included an intro whereby Tim
had recently been released from prison for shooting a "Compton kid". The lyrical insults were arguably the opening salvo in what would later become the East Coast versus West Coast hip hop conflict which would ultimately lead to the "beef" between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records."

"Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released on November 12, 1996, by Undeas Recordings and Big Beat Records. Following successwith the group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and their album Conspiracy (1995), Kim began working on her solo album with The Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer. She collaborated with a number of producers, including Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Stevie J., David "Ski" Willis and Jermaine Dupri, among others. Rappers Jay Z, Lil' Cease and Puff Daddy feature on the album. Recording for the album took place from 1995 to 1996, mainly at The Hit Factory studio, in New York City.

The album was notable for its overt raunchy sexual tone and Kim's
lyrical delivery. Hard Core debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, and number 3 on the Billboard's Top R&B Albums, selling 78,000 copies in its first week, and hit the top ten in the Canadian Albums Chart. In the United States, Hard Core was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and to date has sold over 6 million copies worldwide."

"Organized Konfusion is the eponymous debut album by QueensHip Hop duo Organized Konfusion. The album was released on October 29, 1991 under Hollywood BASIC.
The album and the group have received a large cult following throughout
the years. The record was originally given a rating of 4 out of 5 in The Source in January 1992.The effort has received perfect ratings from many sources, including Allmusic and RapReviews. Group members Pharoahe Monch
and Prince Po were praised for their highly skilled lyrical ability,
making use of intelligent vocabulary and metaphors. The content on the
album ranges from light-hearted tales ("Who Stole My Last Piece of
Chicken?" "Audience Pleaser"), to extreme, politically influenced songs
("Releasing Hypnotical Gases," "Prisoners of War"), to religious
influence ("Open Your Eyes")."

"Ironman is the debut solo album by American rapper Ghostface Killah, released on October 29, 1996, by Epic Records. It was produced by fellow Wu-Tang Clan member RZA. The album's music draws prominently on blaxploitation films and soulsamples. More so than on other solo debuts from the group's members, Ironman contains references to the Nation of Gods and Earths. Ironman sold 156,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number two on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, respectively. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) on January 8, 1997, and by February 9, 2004, it had earned a
platinum certification for shipping one million copies in the United
States. Many music critics
have praised the album for Ghostface Killah's imaginative lyricism and
RZA's production style, with some revering it as one of the greatest
Wu-Tang solo albums of all time."

"Death Certificate is the second studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on October 29, 1991 by Priority Records. Highly anticipated with over one million advanced orders, the album was certified platinum in sales on December 20, 1991. Due to some of its racially and politically charged content, and Ice Cube's acerbic statements on drug dealing, racial profiling, and the right to keep and bear arms, Death Certificate was the source of much controversy upon its release. In 2003, Priority Records re-released Death Certificate with the bonus track "How to Survive in South Central", which originally appeared on the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack."

"22nd October 2016 marks the 25th Anniversary of Black
Sheep's classic debut LP 'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'. The playful long
player from the Queen's New York duo continues in the tradition of
output from fellow Native Tongues De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest,
drawing on a rich pallet of sample material - funk, soul, rock and jazz.
In celebration we've teamed up once again with Wax Poetics to present this exclusive mix of album tracks, remixes, alt versions and of course original sample material, mixed by Chris Read "

"I Wish My Brother George Was Here is the debut album by Del tha Funky Homosapien. The title of the album is a reference to George Clinton, whose music was an influence on Del, as well as to the late pianist Liberace who would on occasion openly pine for his brother George to appear on Liberace's television program in the mid-1950s."

"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is the debut studio album from Americanhip hop group Black Sheep, released October 22, 1991 on Mercury Records. The album peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. By April 1992, it was certified gold in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States. The album peaked at thirty on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached the fifteenth spot on the R&B Albums chart. It was certified gold in April 1992. John Bush of Allmusic
called the album "playfully satirical, witty, and incredibly
imaginative," and stated that "Black Sheep hit a height with their debut
that few hip-hop acts would ever reach." In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums Ever."

"The album was completely produced by DJ Premier and continues the themes of Afrocentricity, preserving hip-hop culture, and more about the harms of materialism that were discussed on The Sun Rises in the East.

In its liner notes, it says, "This album was created to SAVE hip-hop and the minds of the people who listen to it." One significant track that intends to uphold Jeru's vision of hip hop is "One Day," where Jeru tells a story of Puff Daddy, Foxy Brown, and Bad Boy Records kidnapping somebody named Hip-Hop. The Notorious B.I.G.
took offense to the song, being that he was signed to Bad Boy Records,
and closely affiliated with Puff Daddy and Foxy Brown. Biggie retaliated
by throwing subtle jabs at Jeru in the song "Kick in the Door"
(which was also aimed at other rap artists as well.) The track "Me or
the Papes" contains aim for Puff Daddy, Jeru stating, “My name ain't Puff, I ain't got loot to waste,” to which Puff Daddy didn't respond.

It contains many tracks that are sequels to songs on Jeru's debut
album such as "Revenge of the Prophet (Part 5)," "Me or the Papes," and
"Physical Stamina," featuring Afu-Ra, the one guest emcee, as he was on Jeru's debut album."

"Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on October 1, 1991, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. The album received critical acclaim, ranking at No. 2 in The Village Voice's 1991 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.

Apocalypse 91 was recorded at The Music Palace in Long Island, New York and produced by The Bomb Squad and The Imperial Grand Ministers of Funk, which consisted of producers Stuart Robertz, Cerwin "C-Dawg" Depper, Gary "G-Wiz" Rinaldo, and The JBL. The album title refers to the films Apocalypse Now and The Empire Strikes Back. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On November 26, 1991, Apocalypse 91 was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies in the United States.

Apocalypse 91 produced four singles: "Can't Truss It", "Night Train", "Shut 'Em Down" and its B-side "By the Time I Get to Arizona". The latter featured a controversial music video where Public Enemy was depicted killing the 17th Governor of Arizona, Evan Mecham, who refused to recognize Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday. "Can't Truss It" was Public Enemy's most successful single, peaking at No. 9 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also peaked at No. 5 on the Dance chart, becoming their most successful release there. The song "Get the Fuck Outta Dodge" was a previously released as a B-Side to the "Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man" single from Fear of a Black Planet. The album also includes the thrash cover of their earlier hit "Bring the Noise" featuring Anthrax."

"Mr. Scarface Is Back is the debut studio album by American rapper (and member of Houston hip hop group, The Geto Boys) Scarface. It was released on October 8, 1991, by Rap-a-Lot Records. The album was supported by two singles: "Mr. Scarface" and "A Minute to Pray and a Second to Die". Both of these singles attained a minor chart success. The album debuted at number 51 on the US Billboard 200. On April 23, 1993, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)."

"24th September 2016 marks the 25th Anniversary of
the release of A Tribe Called Quest's classic sophomore LP 'The Low End
Theory'. Alongside 1993's 'Midnight Marauders', the album vies for pole
position on most Tribe fans' lists of the group's best LPs. The album
also marks a pivotal moment in the group's evolution, with founding
member Jairobi departing to pursue the culinary arts, Phife steps to the
fore as Q Tip's principal companion on the mic. The album's sample
material draws heavily on jazz pairing the likes of Cannonball Adderley,
Art Blakey and Jack McDuff with pounding drums and, of course, pushing
the low end. In keeping with tradition, we've teamed up with Wax Poetics
to present this exclusive mix of album tracks, alt versions, interview
snippets and, naturally, original sample material, mixed by Chris Read."

"The Low End Theory is the second album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on September 24, 1991 through Jive Records, the album produced three singles: "Check the Rhime," "Jazz (We've Got)," and "Scenario". After A Tribe Called Quest's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), Jarobi White left the group to study culinary art. Phife Dawg learned that he was diabetic a month after the album's release and after a discussion with fellow member Q-Tip, they agreed to increase his participation on their second album and to "step it up in general as a group." Q-Tip credited N.W.A's album Straight Outta Compton (1988) as an inspiration for the record. The group hired double bassist Ron Carter
on the track "Verses from the Abstract". Q-Tip stated, "We wanted that
straight bass sound, and Ron Carter is one of the premier bassists of
the century."
Carter agreed to record tracks on the condition that the group avoid
profanity, to which Q-Tip assured they were addressing "real issues".When asked by critics and interviewers if he was afraid of a
"sophomore jinx", Q-Tip responded by saying "'Sophomore jinx?' What the
fuck is that, I'm going to make The Low End Theory"."

"Illadelph Halflife is the third studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released September 24, 1996 on Geffen Records. It features a tougher and broader sound than their previous album, Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995). The album also contains integration of programmed drums and guest contributions by R&B musicians such as Amel Larrieux and D'Angelo, as well as jazz musicians such as David Murray, Steve Coleman, Cassandra Wilson, Graham Haynes.
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap
Albums. In 2006, the album was selected as one of Hip-Hop Connection's
100 Best Rap Albums from 1995 to 2005."

"The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest verse.

At the time of the album's recording, Jay-Z was awaiting two criminal
trials, one for gun possession and another for assault, and had become
one of hip hop's most dissed artists, receiving insults from rappers such as Nas, Prodigy, and Jadakiss.
The album is also famous for both its producers Kanye West and Just
Blaze's breakouts as major producers. Kanye West produced 5 of the 13
tracks on the album, including the song "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and the controversial track which included diss lyrics aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy, "Takeover" while Just Blaze produced 3 tracks including "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Song Cry", and "U Don't Know", in addition produced the hidden bonus track "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)". Upon its release, The Blueprint
received universal acclaim, with critics praising Jay-Z's lyricism and
the production. It is considered one of Jay-Z's best albums and has also
been labeled as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time."

"Naughty by Nature is the self-titled debut album from Naughty by Nature, released on September 3, 1991 through Tommy Boy Records.
It was a critical and commercial success, having been certified
platinum on February 6, 1992, thanks in large part to the hit single, "O.P.P.", which reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. The album is now out of print. Additional singles released from the album were "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "Uptown Anthem", both of which were minor hits on the Billboard charts. Stanton Swihart of Allmusic claims that it was the most "contagious crossover radio smash in the autumn of 1991." In addition, Swihart considers Naughty by Nature to be "both a pop and a rap classic," as well as a "must-have album for fans of East Coast rap." In 1998, the album was selected as one of the 100 Best Rap albums by The Source."

"ATLiens is the second studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released on August 27, 1996, by LaFace Records. OutKast recorded ATLiens in sessions at several Atlanta studios—Bosstown Recording Studios, Doppler Recording Studios, PatchWerk Recording Studio, Purple Dragon Studios, and Studio LaCoCo—as well as Chung King Recording Studio and Sound On Sound Recording in New York City.

The record features outer space-inspired production sounds, with OutKast and producers Organized Noize incorporating elements of dub, reggae, and gospel
into the compositions. Several songs feature the duo's first attempts
at producing music by themselves. Lyrically, the group discusses a wide
range of topics including urban life as hustlers, existential
introspection, and extraterrestrial life. The album's title is a portmanteau of "ATL" (an abbreviation of Atlanta, Georgia) and "aliens", which has been interpreted by critics as a commentary about the feeling of being isolated from American culture.

ATLiens debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200
chart, and it sold nearly 350,000 copies in its first two weeks of
release. The album was very well received by music critics upon its
release, who praised the record's lyrical content. It has been certified
double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of two million copies in the United States. The album spawned the singles "Elevators (Me & You)", "ATLiens", and "Jazzy Belle". Since its release, ATLiens has been listed by several magazines and critics as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time."

"Game Theory is the seventh studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released August 29, 2006, on Def Jam Recordings. The group's first release for the label after leaving Geffen Records, the album was recorded by the Roots mostly using the Apple-developed software application GarageBand. A darker, grittier album with minimal emphasis on hooks in comparison to their previous work,Game Theory features a stripped-down sound similar to the work of Public Enemy, with lyrics that concern sociological themes and the late hip hop producer J Dilla.The album debuted at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 61,000 copies in its first week. It produced two singles and achieved moderate sales success. Upon its release, Game Theory received acclaim from most music critics and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. To date, the album has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States."

DJ Jazzy Jeff plays the music of 1996 live at Apple House at SXSW 2016. There's equal attention on the more commercial R&B orientated material of the time and the more typical underground classics but a decent time capsule of music from the year whichever side of that divide your preferences sit.

A mixtape put together by the late great J Dilla around 1999/2000 and given to BBE's Pete Adarkwah in the years preceding the release of his BBE debut Long Player 'Welcome to Detroit' has been unearthed and made available for year ears via Boiler Room. Pete recounts the story:

"Towards the end of 1999 or early
2000, it was my first trip to Detroit. James (Yancey) was working with
James Poyser on Erykah's Mama's Gun LP. We'd checked
out a couple of record stores (I can't recall where or their names) and
this tape was playing in the car. I recall Think Twice was on the tape
and I suggested there and then that he do a cover with Erykah for the
BBE album. We didn't get the Erykah feature, but people sure remember
James' cover. We drove past a sign, it said Welcome To Detroit and I
suggested that would be a good name for the album. When we pulled over
James gave me the tape and said this is yours, or words to that effect."

"Those of you who follow our activities on Mixcloud will be aware from our ‘All Souled Out’ 25th Anniversary mix last month that this year Pete Rock & CL Smooth
celebrate 25 years in the business. In celebration of that anniversary
the Mount Vernon duo are embarking on a tour, and will be touching down
in London on 2nd and 5th September for a pair of shows for The Doctors Orders. In support of those shows former DMC champion and BBE Music recording artist DJ Mr Thing
has put together a great mix looking back on Pete & CL’s 25 year
career comprising classic tracks alongside original samples."

"The Shining is the third studio album by album by Americanhip hop recording artistJ Dilla, who died February 10, 2006. The Shining was incomplete at the time of J Dilla's passing and was posthumously completed. Discounting the instrumental album Donuts, The Shining was the first full-length solo release by J Dilla (featuring vocals) since Welcome 2 Detroit five years earlier, and as such was highly anticipated. It was released on August 22, 2006 through BBE Records. An instrumental version of the album followed its release shortly afterward.

In the works for many years under working titles such as the rumored Welcome 2 LA, Dilla's manager, Tim Maynor, said in November 2005 that The Shining would come out in February 2006 on BBE and that the Dilla self-titled album would follow in the same year. As the album was ultimately only 75% complete at the time of J Dilla's passing, his friend and fellow Detroit hip-hop artist Karriem Riggins
was entrusted by Dilla's mother for the completion and handling of the
record. Riggins himself has indicated that there will be further future
releases of Dilla's music in the coming years, stating that "all of his
music needs to be heard".

A few of the tracks on The Shining are vocal versions of previously heard material such as "So Far to Go" (Donuts track "Bye" revamped and extended to serve as an intended remix to Common's "Go!"). This song was originally to be released by Common during the last quarter of 2005, as part of a Be
special edition package. In 2007, an alternate version of "So Far to
Go" containing new verses and a new mix was released on Common's Finding Forever album.

Dilla features some of his past collaborators, such as the aforementioned Common on two songs, Busta Rhymes, D'Angelo, Madlib, and Black Thought
on the LP. The closing track, "Won't Do", is the only song to feature
Dilla rhyming by himself. He does however also rhyme on "Baby" together
with Madlib and Guilty Simpson and provide the chorus for "E=Mc2".
"Won't Do" was also issued as a single (as The Shining EP2), accompanied by a video that premiered on December 12, 2006. The video included appearances by Common, Slum Village, will.i.am, Frank-N-Dank, Karriem Riggins, Black Thought, Talib Kweli, and J Dilla's younger brother, John Yancey (aka Illa J).

A promo single called "Love", featuring Pharoahe Monch,
was leaked onto the internet in February 2006, days after J.Dilla's
death. Plans for the album's retail release was accelerated and
scheduled for April 2006. Video Producer/Director Brian "B.Kyle" Atkins
of Okayplayer Films [14]
was in the process of putting together a production consisting of
exclusive footage he had shot with J.Dilla... a project which the label
heard about and wanted as a bonus DVD to accompany each retail copy of
the album. Eventually, however, it was decided to release the two
separately. In honor of J.Dilla, Brian "B.Kyle" Atkins created the
production entitled J.Dilla: Still Shining, which was made
available to J.Dilla fans online, for free, at www.TheJDillaProject.com
and YouTube. The album received generally positive reviews and debuted
at #103 in its first week of release according to Billboard. An instrumental version of the album soon followed.

The advance copy of the album contains samples from The Shining
over the tracks to prevent sharing. These samples are not in the retail
version but the advance copy is available on the internet, leading many
to believe that the samples are part of the album."

Its Overture re-imagine the summer of 1996 in this beautifully mixed ode to New York radio station Hot 97. Containing snippets of era specific radio jingles, freestyles alongside popular tracks from the time, this is a classy presentation of some of the best moments from a golden period for New York rap radio.

"This week (13th August 2016) more precisely marks the 25th
Anniversary of the release of Cypress Hill's self titled debut LP, the
album which launched the career of one of the West Coast's most
successful hip hop groups. Produced by Soul Assassin DJ Muggs, the album
is heavy on the funk samples, providing a drum heavy backdrop to B
Real's nasal delivery and Sen Dog's trademark adlibs. In keeping with tradition we've teamed up with Wax Poetics to present this exclusive mixtape of album tracks, alternate versions and of course original sample material, mixed by DJ Matman."

"Cypress Hill is the self-titled debut album of Cypress Hill,
released on August 13, 1991. It was critically and commercially
successful, becoming their second-most successful album with over 2
million copies sold and getting certified double Platinum by the RIAA. The album is broken down track-by-track by Cypress Hill in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique. Steve Huey of Allmusic calls Cypress Hill's debut "a sonic blueprint that would become one of the most widely copied in hip-hop." In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Rolling Stone called it "an album that is innovative and engaging in spite of its hard-core messages."

"Pure Poverty is the second album from Hip Hop group Poor Righteous Teachers. The album was another acclaimed effort for the group, but wasn't as commercially successful as their debut [Holy Intellect - 1990]. The album peaked at #155 in the Billboard top 200 and #23 in the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop album charts."

"Today (30th
July 2016) marks the 20th Anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest's 4th and
penultimate studio album, 'Beats Rhymes & Life'. Produced almost
entirely by the Ummah, a production outfit featuring a young J-Dilla,
it's rich in samples and displays a bass heavy, more stripped down
production sound than previous albums. Also heavily featured is
Consequence whose career was largely kickstarted by the release.
Released 3 years after the group's seminal 'Midnight Marauders' with
recording said to have been affected by internal differences in the
group, the LP failed to gain the critical acclaim of previous offerings
at the time of release, critics suggesting it lacked the chemistry
evident on earlier albums. 20 years on however it remains a great
listen. In keeping with tradition we've teamed up with Wax Poetics to present this exclusive mixtape of album cuts, alt versions and of course original sample material mixed by Chris Read"

"Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth album of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released in 1996, it followed three years after the highly regarded and successful Midnight Marauders.
This album is a departure from the joyful, positive vibe of the earlier
albums and is regarded as the group's darkest album in content. It
reached number-one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B Albums charts. The album was also the first to feature production work from The Ummah, a group that was composed of Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jay Dee. The album frequently features rapper Consequence, Q-Tip's cousin. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1997 and contains a single titled "1nce Again" that was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group the same year. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA on October 27, 1998, even though it was not regarded as highly as the group's first three albums."

"A Future Without a Past... is the debut studio album from Americanhip hop group Leaders of the New School, released in 1991 on Elektra Records. The album is now out of print. The album peaked at 128 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and fifty-three on the R&B Albums chart. Stanton Swihart of Allmusic praised the work, calling the group's debut "one of the most infectious rap albums ever created."
Nikhil P. Yerawadekar at Oh, Word, while noting that at times the
insular focus of the album "make(s) the album as a whole feel...
meandering," still commented that the group "bring(s) great
production... new flows, and captivating personalities to the listener's
attention in a most entertaining manner."

"Breaking Atoms is the debut album of American hip hop group Main Source, released July 23, 1991 on Wild Pitch Records.
Production for it was handled by the group and took place during 1990
to 1991 at Homeboy Studio, Power Play Studios, and Libra Digital in New York City. Recorded during the golden age of hip hop, Breaking Atoms is distinguished stylistically by its incorporation of jazz and soul music samples.
The album has been highly regarded by music writers due mostly to its
production, whose heavy and original use of sampling influenced hip hop
producers for a considerable portion of the 1990s.

The album has been widely regarded by writers and music critics as a
significantly influential album and has been noted for debuting rapper Nas, who appears on the track "Live at the Barbeque". His contribution to the song was sampled on "Genesis", the intro track to his debut album Illmatic (1994). Breaking Atoms
has been recognized as one of the most important records in hip hop
history, and was out of print in the United States after the demise of
Wild Pitch Records in 1997. It was reissued on April 22, 2008 through
Fontana Distribution."

"Straight Checkn 'Em is the second studio album by American rap group Compton's Most Wanted, released July 16, 1991 on Orpheus Records. It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number 92 on the Billboard 200. Along with a single, a music video was produced for the song, "Straight Checkn 'Em". The album contained one of the group's most successful songs, "Growin' Up in the Hood," which also appeared on the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack. The first part for the famous "Def Wish" series (I-IV) appears in Straight Checkn 'Em. Just like their previous album It's a Compton Thang, this album was entirely produced by DJ Slip and The Unknown DJ. Tha Chill
was unable to appear in this album because he was sentenced to prison
some months before the recording, the only song he was able to appear
was "Growin' Up in the Hood"."

"We Can't Be Stopped is the third studio album by Geto Boys,
released in 1991. It was among their most successful records in terms
of units sold. We Can't Be Stopped was certified Platinum in early 1992. We Can't Be Stopped took only a few weeks to record. During
the recording of the album, DJ Ready Red, one of the original Geto Boys
members, left the group for personal reasons. The title track was a criticism of the Geto Boys' former intended distributor, Geffen Records, after the label refused to distribute the group's previous album, The Geto Boys, because of its violent lyrics. The Bushwick Bill solo, "Fuck a War", is a criticism of then president George Bush, an anti-war song inspired by a close relative of Bill's serving in the Persian Gulf War. The hit single "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" was originally intended to be a Scarface
solo with three verses but later became a group song with Bushwick Bill
rapping Scarface's last verse. "I'm Not a Gentleman" was a response to Queen Latifah's "Ladies First", while "Chuckie" is a Bushwick Bill solo written by a fellow Rap-A-Lot member, Ganksta N-I-P, after the two watched the movie Child's Play together. The track "Punk Bitch Game" was influenced by Salt of Salt-n-Pepa
wanting more female participation in the song, while the album's final
track, "Trophy", was about the Geto Boys' frustration over the lack of
attention they were receiving from music awards. Each member of the group has three
solo tracks. Three tracks have all three members on the rapping roster,
including a short verse from DJ Ready Red on the title track.

The album cover is a graphic picture of member Bushwick Bill in the
hospital. Bill was shot in the eye as he and his girlfriend tussled over
a gun. Bushwick Bill wanted her to kill him and during the altercation
he was shot as both hands were on the gun. The other two Geto Boys members and the group's management team took
Bill out of the hospital room in order to take the picture, removing his
eyepatch and intravenous drip in the process. Bill has expressed regret
over the album cover, saying "It still hurts me to look at that cover
because that was a personal thing I went through... I still feel the
pain from the fact I've got a bullet in my brain... I think it was
pretty wrong to do it, even though I went along with the program at
first."

"It Was Written is the second studio album by American rapper Nas, released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records in the United States. Following the moderate sales success of his acclaimed debut album, Illmatic (1994), Nas chose to focus his efforts in a more mainstream direction. Primarily produced by Trackmasters,
it is a departure for him from the raw, underground tone of his debut
album towards a more polished, mainstream sound. The album features mafioso and gangsta themes, and marks the first appearance of Nas's short-lived supergroup The Firm, which included rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega.

The album proved to be Nas’s most commercially successful release, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also heralded Nas’s mainstream popularity and followed the success of other mafioso rap albums such as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995) and Reasonable Doubt (1996). However, his stylistic changes and increased mainstream success fostered accusations of selling out
within the hip hop community. It has been viewed by music writers as
one of Nas's best records and remains Nas' best-selling release, with
over 4 million copies in the United States alone."

"The Ruler's Back is the second studio album by British-American rapper Slick Rick, released July 2, 1991, on Def Jam Recordings.
It features production from Vance Wright, Slick Rick and Mr. Lee. The
album and its music videos were quickly recorded and filmed before Slick
Rick was sentenced to a 5-year prison term.

Upon its release, The Ruler's Back achieved notable chart success, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard 200, and number 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album features the hit single "I Shouldn't Have Done It", which peaked at number 2 on the Hot Rap Singles."

"This month (2nd July more precisely) marks the 20th anniversary of the
release of De La Soul's fourth studio LP 'Stakes is High'. A departure
from the sonic identity of previous long play offerings, the album
addresses social issues and the changing state of hip hop in '96 over
production from the likes of the late great Jay Dee and ATCQ
collaborator Skeff Anselm among others. Guest vocals come courtesy of
Common and a young Mos Def. In celebration we've teamed up with Wax Poetics
to present this exclusive mixtape featuring tracks from the LP,
alternate versions, remixes and of course original sample material used
in the the creation of this much loved classic"

"The album was released on July 2, 1991, for Uptown Records and was produced by Pete Rock, DJ Eddie F, Teddy Riley, Marley Marl and Howie Tee. This marked the group's first album since the death of member Trouble T Roy,
who died almost a year before the album's release, and several on the
album pay tribute to him. Though not as successful as the group's
previous album, Big Tyme, the album was able to reach Platinum status and made it to number 21 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart. The following singles also charted: "Now That We Found Love" (UK
#2, US #11), "Is It Good to You" which sampled Mama Used to Say by Junior, "Don't Curse" and "Peaceful Journey", which sampled 'This Place Hotel' by The Jacksons. Guests on the album include Aaron Hall, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Puba, Kool G. Rap, Q-Tip, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Daddy Freddy and K-Ci & JoJo. One of the songs, "Is It Good to You," was remade by Teddy Riley and featured singer Tammy Lucas for the soundtrack to the movie Juice."

"Stakes Is High is De La Soul's
fourth full-length album, released on July 2, 1996. The album marked a
change in the group's sound and direction as it was their first release
not to be produced in collaboration with Prince Paul. Stakes Is High was mainly produced by the group themselves with additional tracks provided by Jay Dee, DJ Ogee, Spearhead X and Skeff Anslem. It received mostly strong reviews but little commercial success."

“This week marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Pete Rock
& CL Smooth‘s classic debut EP ‘All Souled Out’, the 6 track
Extended Player that placed one of hip hop’s best loved Producer / MC
duos on the map and set the stage for two of the most revered albums of
the early 90s, 1992’s ‘Mecca and the Soul Brother’ and 1994’s ‘The Main
Ingredient’. In celebration we’ve teamed up with Wax Poetics to present
this exclusive mixtape featuring tracks from the EP, alternate versions,
interview snippets and of course original sample material used in the
the creation of this all time classic. Mixed by Chris Read.”

"All Souled Out is an EP by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It was released in the summer of 1991 to rave reviews and spawned a modest hit in "The Creator".

After participation in the production and/or remixes of songs by various hip hop and R&B artists in the late 1980s to early 1990s, the duo signed to Elektra Records. All Souled Out was a warm up to their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother.
All the rapping on the album is performed by C.L. Smooth with the
exception of "The Creator", a Pete Rock solo track. A deluxe edition of All Souled Out
was released on February 18, 2014 on Traffic Entertainment Group,
featuring the original 6 EP tracks, along with remix and instrumental
versions of "The Creator" & "Mecca & the Soul Brother"."

"Derelicts of Dialect is Queens-based emcees3rd Bass' second LP (following its debut LP and an EP) and final studio album, released on Def Jam Recordings.
The album is considered to be a critical success (explicitly not aimed
toward a mainstream market), and gained publicity by featuring the
surprise mainstream hit "Pop Goes the Weasel," a diss track towards Vanilla Ice. The music video features former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins as Ice. X-Clan is dissed on songs such as "Herbalz In Your Mouth."

The album is noted for its variety of styles (both musically and lyrically), and demonstrates influences ranging from De La Soul to A Tribe Called Quest (both members of the then-flourishing Native Tongues Movement). Several amusing anecdotes and skits on the album are influenced by De La Soul's album 3 Feet High and Rising. The album was certified gold by the RIAA three months after its release."

In the coming months we'll be reformatting these album related posts to make them more browsable so we're switching up the format a little. All the essential info you need about classic releases in one place!

"Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapperJay-Z. It was released on June 25, 1996, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Priority Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and also it includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige and The Notorious B.I.G., among others. The album features Mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.

Reasonable Doubt debuted at number 23 on the US Billboard 200, on which it charted for 18 weeks. It was promoted with four singles; including "Ain't No Nigga" and "Can't Knock the Hustle". Reasonable Doubt was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and, as of 2006, has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States.
A critical success, it has been ranked on several publications' lists
of the greatest rap albums ever, while many hip hop fans have viewed it
as Jay-Z's best work."

"This coming week marks the 20th Anniversary of Jay Z‘s ‘Reasonable Doubt’. With a rap career dating back to 1989 including stints as side man to mentor, Jaz, features for the likes of the Dame Dash managed Original Flavor and Big Daddy Kane, Reasonable Doubt (released June 25th 1996) arrived late in the rapper’s career for a debut LP. With production from DJ Premier and Clark Kent, plus features from Mary J Blige and Notorious B.I.G
it sits stylistically somewhere between the dominant underground sound
of the mid 90s and the emerging sound pushed by labels such as Puffy‘s
Bad Boy records which would come to define popular hip hop and R&B
into the late 1990s. At the intersection between those sounds lies a
varied selection of sample material."

We're a couple of weeks late on this one but 15th May 2016 marked the 30th Anniversary of Run DMC's 'Raising Hell' LP. Typically we give our own take on the iconic releases of each year, but in this case Wikipedia does a pretty good job of covering the important facts, so we'll defer to their summary:

"Raising Hell is the third studio album by hip hop group Run–D.M.C. The breakthrough album trumped standing perceptions of commercial viability for hip-hop groups, achieving triple-platinum status and receiving critical attention from quarters that had previously ignored hip hop. Raising Hell features the well-known cover "Walk This Way" featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. While the song was not the group's first fusion of rock and hip hop (the group's earlier singles "Rock Box" and "King of Rock"
was), it was the first such fusion to make a significant impact on the
charts, becoming the first rap song to crack the top 5 of The Billboard Hot 100. Raising Hell peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart as the first hip hop/rap album to do so, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200."

Full length hip hop LPs were sufficiently few in number in 1986 that Ego Trip did not produce an album list. The single 'My Adidas / Peter Piper' from the album however comes in #2 on the Top 40 Rap Singles from the year.

This weekend (28th May) marks the 25th anniversary of the release of NWA's controversial second (and final) LP 'efil4zaggiN'. Bridging the gap between the group's explosive 1988 debut 'Straight Outta Compton' and Dr Dre's breakthrough 1992 solo debut 'The Chronic', the LP's production style sits somewhere between the two baring hallmarks of the fledgling 'G-Funk' sound that would come to dominate West Coast hip hop in the following years.

While 2015's 'Straight Outta Compton' movie didn't offer a great deal of screen time the group's second LP, it's undeniably an important part of the group's story. There's no shortage of commentary online, but of particular interest was Rolling Stone's feature this weekend containing commentary from the group's surviving members on the album's making.

Released the same day as De La Soul's 'De La Soul is Dead' (see below) was the debut album from Long Beach trio KMD (a slightly awkward acronym for 'A positive Kause in a Much Damaged society). A cult classic in its day, the album is best remembered today as the album which launched the rap career of MF Doom, then known as 'Zev Love X'. Comparable in many ways to output of groups such as De La Soul, 'Mr Hood' mixed comedy skits with positive massaging via unorthodox choices of sample material, in particular the character of 'Mr Hood' who appears in skits throughout the album constructed from samples of language instruction records.

Sadly 'Mr Hood' was the only album released during the group's active life, the follow up 'Black Bastards' having been dropped by Elektra records due to the label's concerns about its potentially offensive content and imagery. The group's DJ (and brother of Zev Love X) Subroc died after being hit by a car on the Long Island expressway just days before the group's deal was brought to an end prompting Zev Love X to retire from rap for around 6 years before finally returning in the guise of MF Doom in 1997. 'Black Bastards' finally saw an official release in 2000, some 7 years after it was recorded, although bootleg versions made from the official Elektra promo cassette had been in circulation for some years prior.

There is currently no official stream for the album on Youtube, but you can find a video of the full album here.

“This Weekend (14th May 2016) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of De La Soul‘s
classic sophomore album ‘De La Soul is Dead’. Following in the
footsteps of 1989’s sample heavy ‘3 Feet High and Rising’, the album
once again delves into unconventional and varied sample material from
disco to spoken word via rock, jazz and soul with producer Prince Paul placing a unique spin on all of the above. In celebration of the album’s 25th birthday, we’ve teamed up with Wax Poetics
to present an exclusive mixtape containing tracks from the album,
remixes and, of course, original sample material used in the album’s
production.”

We're playing catch up on the recent album anniversaries here on the blog, but all those with any more than a passing interest in such things will not have avoided the mass celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of De La Soul's sophomore LP 'De La Soul is Dead' this week. There's little to be said that's not been said elsewhere, so we'll simply pass on the best of the links for you to explore:

We're a week or so late posting this one, but May 8th marked the 15th anniversary of the release of DJ Hi-Tek's 'Hi-Teknology Volume 1' on Rawkus records. Following in the footsteps of Reflections Eternal's 'Train of Thought' (2000) (produced entirely by Hi-Tek) and Mos Def & Talib Kweli's Black Star LP (1998) (largely produced by Hi-Tek), 'Hi-Teknology' was the Ohio native's debut album production album and featured vocals from the likes of Common, Vinia Mojica, Slum Village in addition to long term collaborators Kweli and Mos Def.

This weekend (27th February 2016) marked the 15th Anniversary of the release of Jay Dee (aka J Dilla)'s debut production LP 'Welcome 2 Detroit on BBE Records. For an artist / producer with such an extensive discography dating back to the mid '90s, it's hard with hindsight to believe that his debut LP as lead artist came this late in his tragically short career. Perhaps more astounding is the fact that this was the only J-Dilla solo album to see release in his lifetime. ('Donuts' was of course released just days before his death, but occupies a space somewhere between beat tape, mixtape and instrumenal album.) 'Welcome 2 Detroit' was also the first of eleven producer led artist albums to be released under BBE's 'Beat Generation imprint. The series would go on to see releases from veterans of the hip hop underground (Marley Marl, Pete Rock, Jazzy Jeff) and emerging a-list producers of the day (Will.I.Am, Madlib). There's very little to be said about the album that has not been said before, but suffice to say it's an eclectic masterpiece that's widely considered one of the most influential LPs of its day for good reason.

This weekend (13th February 2016) marked the 20th anniversary of the release of The Fugees second and final long player 'The Score'. An enormous commercial success, the LP spawned three hit singles 'Killing Me Softly' (a loose cover version of sorts of the Roberta Flack classic), 'Fu-gee-la' and 'Ready or Not'. Largely produced by members of the group, contributions from stalwart 90s producers Diamond D (title track 'The Score') and Salaam Remi ('Fu-gee-la') are notable.

This week marked the 10th Anniversary of James Yancey bka Jay Dee / J Dilla's classic instrumental opus 'Donuts'. Released February 7th 2006, Dilla's 32nd birthday and just 3 days prior to his untimely death from complications of the blood disease lupus. There's little to say about the record that's not already been said - it was largely created from Dilla's hospital bed, and via choice of sample material references death and mortality. Because of the circumstances in which it was created and the timing of its release it has rightly been heralded as a seminal release and something of a personal fairwell from one of hip hop's most influential producers. On a more detached analysis however it's a record that, whilst sharing some themes with Yancey's many beat tapes, has a more mixtape oriented feel than many prior beat collections or more traditionally structured albums such as 2001's Welcome to Detroit.

This weekend marked the 25th Anniversary of Gang Starr's seminal sophomore LP 'Step in the Arena'. The follow up to 1989's 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 'Step in the Arena' is widely regarded as the album which marked the origins of what would become 'the Gang Starr sound', moving away from the more typically late 80s sound of its predecessor and delving into brief repetitive loops mined from a more varied pallet of source material. Keen not to be type-cast as a 'jazz-rap' outfit following the success of the single 'Jazz Thing' (taken from the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 'Mo Better Blues'), the album is equal parts street lyricism and infectiously funky backdrops. The album spawned numerous singles: 'Just to Get a Rep' (released prior to the LP), 'Take A Rest', the title track 'Step in the Arena' and 'Lovesick' (arguably the most commercial of the singles, backed with the previously unreleased 'Credit is Due').

We're a week late posting this one, but 15th December 2015 marked the 25th Anniversary of the release of EPMD's third studio album 'Business as Usual'. The album is the duo's first for Def Jam following their departure from Fresh Records and displays a slightly more hardcore sound to the previous two LPs, 1989's 'Unfinished Business' and 1988's 'Strictly Business'. It is also the last album recorded prior to a period of in fighting between Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith that would mar the recording of 1992's 'Business Never Personal' and subsequent projects. The LP spawned 3 singles, 'Gold Digger', 'Rampage' (featuring LL Cool J) and 'Give the People'. The album is also notable for featuring the debut feature from future star Redman.

Friday 4th December 2015 marked the 25th Anniversary of the
release of Brand Nubian's classic debut album 'One for All'. Notable for
its use of unconventional sample material (see use of Edie Brickell's
'What I Am' on the smash single 'Slow Down'), this landmark release of
the afro-centric era treads an unlikely path between political
commentary and humorous braggadocio. In celebration of the album’s 25th
birthday, WhoSampled teamed up with Wax Poetics to present an exclusive
mixtape containing tracks from the album, alternate versions, remixes
and, of course, original sample material used in the album’s production, mixed by Classic Material's Chris Read.

This weekend (December 4th 2015 more accurately) marked the 25th Anniversary of the release of Brand Nubian's debut LP 'One for All'. This is usually the place we give a quick synopsis of the LP and why we have deigned it of sufficient importance to be included on this blog but in this instance we'll keep it short as our very own Chris Read has put together a mixtape to mark the occasion which says more than a paragraph or two here would achieve. (Although, if it's words you're after, this article gives a decent run down.)

For reasons best known to the licencing folks at Youtube almost all the videos in the official stream of the album are dead, but many of the album's high points appear on their 'Best Of' LP which you can listen to on Youtube here.

This week (18th November 2015) marked the 30th Anniversary of LL Cool J's debut album 'Radio'. We've catalogued many 20th or 25th Anniversaries here, but this is our first 30th. Produced in its entirety by Rick Rubin, the album bears many of the hallmarks of Rubin's productions for the likes of Run D.M.C and the Beastie Boys, fusing hard hitting drums with rock sonics. Perhaps most famous among the tracks using this sonic template was the single 'Rock the Bells' and the AC/DC guitar stab that it incorporated and subsequently became a ubquitous scratch sample.

Whilst Ego Trip have not published a list of the year's biggest rap albums (albums were still in sufficiently short supply at this point in time that they were not sufficient in number to warrant a list) 'Rock the Bells' comes in a #3 in the year's Top 40 Rap Singles.

Saturday 14th November 2015 marked the 20th Anniversary of the release
of The Pharcyde's seminal sophomore album 'Labcabincalifornia'. Produced
in part by the late great Jay Dee together with various members of the
group and guest producers including Diamond D, it's a timeless long
player that sounds as fresh today as the day it was released. In
celebration of the album’s 20th birthday, WhoSampled teamed up with Wax Poetics
to present an exclusive mixtape containing tracks from the album,
alternate versions, remixes, acapellas and, of course, original sample
material used in the album’s production, mixed by Classic Material's Chris Read.

This weekend (14th November 2015) marked the 20th Anniversary of The Pharcyde's seminal sophomore album 'Labcabincalifornia'. Produced in part by the late great Jay Dee, production on the remainder of the album came from various members of The Pharcyde crew and guest producers who included Diamond D. SIngles from the album came in the form of the Jay Dee produced classic 'Runnin' (b/w 'Drop') and 'She Said'.

This weekend (7th November 2015) marks the 20th Anniversary of the release of GZA's sophomore LP 'Liquid Swords', The Genius' first full length solo release following his departure from the Cold Chillin' label. The album is the third of the Wu-Tang solo albums released in the wake of the group's 1993 debut '36 Chambers'. Famed for its extensive sampling of banned 1980 martial arts classic 'Shogun Assassin' and gritty soul samples, the album appeared in sharp contrast to 1991's 'Words from the Genius' and its New Jack Swing influenced lead single 'Come Do Me'.

We're a little late posting this, but this week (October 31st 2015 more precisely) marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Cypress Hill's third album, the platinum selling 'III: Temples of Boom'. The album completes a trio of LPs produced by DJ Muggs, each with a very distinct production style. In keeping with trends of the day, 'Temples of Boom' steps into more downtempo territory with a slightly more polished (all be it darker) production sound. The album displays more East Coast influence than earlier offerings, Wu-Tang's RZA and U-God both featuring and Q-Tip and Erick Sermon offering contributions to the singles 'Illusions' and 'Throw Your Set In The Air' respectively. The latter appears in our 1995 Rap Megamix.

For reasons best known to Youtube, the official playlist for the album contains both tracks from 'Temples of Boom' and the group's previous album 'Black Sunday'. Listen / watch here.

This weekend also marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Isis's debut LP 'Rebel Soul'. A member of the Black Watch Movement (together with X-Clan, Proffesor X and associated artists), this is one of a handful of what are essentially X-Clan spin off albums released in the wake of the success of 'To The East Blackwards'. It's a solid listen that stands up to the quality of other X-Clan related LPs from the era and features Professor X's trademark monologues throughout.

Also released on 24th October 1995 was Onyx's sophomore LP 'All We Got Iz Us', the follow up to 1993's explosive debut 'Bacdafucup'. The angst and anger of the debut is still present, but without Jam Master Jay at the helm it suffers for the absence of JMJ's jazz based production which gave the debut its distinctive sound. Stand out tracks include 'Last Dayz' (a track given a second lease of life thanks to its inclusion in the battle scene of the movie '8 Mile') and 'Shout' (although Pete Rock's remix of the track is far superior to the album version).

This weekend (24th October 2015) marks the 20th anniversary of the release of South Bronx rapper Fat Joe's sophomore LP 'Jealous One's Envy'. The follow up to 1993's 'Represent', the album occupies a middle ground between underground sonics of that 1993 debut and the more commercial sound of later material. Production comes courtesy of fellow D.I.T.C member Diamond D and DJ Premier among others. Stand out tracks include the Diamond D produced 'Bronx Tale' featuring KRS-One and DJ Premier's remix of 'The Sh*t is Real' (the original version of which featured on 'Represent'). As a long player however it's a patchy affair with the 'Sexual Healing' sampling 'Envy' (one of two tracks from the album to be released as a single) offering a preview of the more commercial sound that would dominate Joe's music in later years.

This weekend (October 16th 2015) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Grand Daddy IU's debut LP 'Smooth Assassin' on the Cold Chillin. An often overlooked album in discussion of the era's (and label's) greatest, it's one of the few Cold Chillin albums from the period in which Marley Marl did not have a hand. There is however a Juice Crew connection, the album being largely produced by Biz Markie with assistance from partner Cool V.

Also released on 10th October 1995 was AZ's debut LP 'Doe or Die'. Despite production from heavyweights Pete Rock, Buckwild and L.E.S and guest appearances from Nas and others, the album fails to make Ego Trip's Top 25 rap albums of the year. The album hit the #1 spot in the Billboard Rap Album Chart while the album's lead single, the gold certified 'Sugar Hill' hit the #3 spot on the Billboard Rap Chart.

This weekend (10th October 2015 to be more precise) marks the 20th Anniversary of the release of KRS-One's self titled LP. His second solo album, 'KRS-One' follows in the footsteps of 1993's 'Return of the Boom Bap' with significant contributions from DJ Premier as well as DITC producers Showbiz and Diamond D. Two singles from the album, 'MCs Act Like They Don't Know' and 'Rappaz R N Danja' both feature production from DJ Premier. Originally titled 'Hip Hop vs. Rap' (as evidenced by some early magazine reviews) last minute amendments to the album included not only a name change but also removal of a handful of tracks, which although not officially released have surfaced online.

There's some debate as to whether this album was released on 2nd October 1990 or a week prior, but at the time of writing Wikipedia is suggesting the former so we'll go with that, making today the album's 25th Anniversary. In the wake of NWA's explosive debut LP in 1988, '89 and '90 saw a raft of solid Compton releases hit the shelves. Oft overlooked among them is King Tee's 'At Your Own Risk', the follow up to 1988's 'Act a Fool'. Featuring production from frequent Ice Cube collaborator DJ Pooh and a pre-Alkaholiks E-Swift, the album carries a more light hearted feel than much of Compton's output from the era, including the uncharacteristic New Jack Swing flavored 'On the Dance Tip'.

This post is a couple of weeks behind schedule, September 14th 2015 having been the 25th Anniversary of the release of LL Cool J's stand out 'Mama Said Knock You Out' LP. If you've been following these anniversary posts, you'll have seen by now that 1990 was Marley Marl's year. Produced almost entirely by Marley Marl 'Mama Said ...' was a stellar come back (although "Don't call it a come back") after the somewhat lukewarm reception to 1989's 'Walking with a Panther'. A raft of popular singles from the album, 'Mama Said Knock You Out', 'Boomin' System' and 'Around the Way Girl' among them have sealed the album's status as an all time classic.

On August 6, 2014, hip hop legends Public Enemy performed at London’s world-renowned Metropolis Studios
in the most intimate gig of their career. This unique show gave 125
lucky fans the rare opportunity to witness one of the most influential
rap collectives record a live album up close and personal, at a venue
that is rarely opened to the public.

This past Friday (14th August 2015) also marked the 25th Anniversary of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's sophomore LP for the Cold Chillin' label 'Wanted Dead or Alive'. In a break from the tradition of albums for the label at the time being largely produced by Marley Marl, the LP features extensive production credits for Eric B and contributions from a young Large Professor, the latter widely believed to have been the more 'hands on' of the two, Eric B being known primarily as a money man and facilitator rather than a producer in the technical sense. Large Professor also delivers vocals on one of the album's two posse cuts, 'Money in the Bank' alongside Ant Live. The other, 'Erase Racism' features Cold Chillin' stalwarts Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie and was released as a single backed with versions of the album's title track.

This past Friday (14th August 2015) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of N.W.A‘s
‘100 Miles and Runnin’ EP, a timely anniversary given the recent release of Dre's 'Compton: A Soundtrack'. The 5 track EP was the group’s first release
following the acrimonious split from former group member Ice Cube
who released his solo debut ‘Amerikkka’s Most Wanted’ earlier in the
year. The EP serves as prelude of sorts to the group’s second Long
Player ‘Efil4zaggin’ released in spring of the following year and ‘Real Niggaz‘ from the 100 Miles EP also appears on that album. The Dre-produced EP is a sample heavy affair, the title track alone containing nearly 20 samples. It's the tracks that display the group's politicised anger over bombsquad-esque sample packed sound collages that are most memorable, whilst shock value sexual brags of the variety popular with teenage boys are easily forgotten.

This weekend (1st August 2015) marked the 20th Anniversary of the release of Raekwon's solo debut 'Only Built for Cuban Linx'. The album, billed as featuring Ghostface Killah (pictured alongside Raekwon on the cover), precedes Ghostface's solo debut 'Ironman' by more than a year. As was typical of the first 'round' of Wu-Tang solo LPs, the album in fact features guest appearances from all of the clan's prominent members, although Ghostface features most heavily. Links to the Wu-Tang's 1993 debut '36 Chambers do not end with the album's personnel, a remixed version of the clan's 'Can It All Be So Simple' being one of Cuban Linx's more memorable cuts.

This weekend (24th July 2015 to be precise) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Master Ace's (later Masta Ace) seminal debut for the Cold Chillin' label 'Take A Look Around'. The second Marley Marl prodcued album we've mentioned in as many weeks, this album has a much lighter, more soulful feel than the likes of 'Intelligent Hoodlum'. It's arguably similarly varied lyrically however, with a bias toward social commentary, there are also a couple of straight up party tracks and a decent dose of humour (see Me & The Biz). The 15 track album is not short on singles: 'Together b/w Letter to the Better' preceded the album, released on Prism in 1989. A remix of the B-side appears on 'Take A Look Around'. 'Music Man', 'Movin On' and 'Me & The Biz' were all released subsequently. 'I Gotta' (which formed the B-side to 'Me & The Biz' was released separately as an A-Side in the UK, with UK only remixes from London's Brixton Bass.

Today (19th July 2015) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Special Ed's sophomore LP 'Legal'. Whilst the anthemic 'Got It Made' cast Ed's 1989 debut 'Youngest in Charge' as a classic, most would agree that 'Legal' is a more solid album offering. Two singles from the LP, 'Come On Let's Move It' and the James Bond inspired 'The Mission' were both relative successes, although neither achieved the level of recognition of 'Got It Made'. Also featured is a remix of 'I'm The Magnificent', the original version having appeared on 'Youngest In Charge'. With 10 tracks and a run time of under 40 minutes, it's a brief and fast paced affair with the exception of 'See It Ya', a slightly out of place Dancehall cut which closes the album.

This weekend (10th July 2015) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Intelligent Hoodlum's self titled debut. Later working under the monikers 'Tragedy' (a nickname which predates 'Intelligent Hoodlum')and 'Tragedy Khadafi', it's his debut which is widely considered his best work. Featuring production from fellow Queensbridge native Marley Marl and a young Large Professor, much of the production bears the hallmarks of Marley's work of the era. Lyrically however the album is far more varied, from the politically charged 'No Justice, No Peace', 'Arrest the President' and 'Black and Proud' to party pieces 'Party Pack' and 'Live Motivator'.

This week (1st July 2015), marks the 25th Anniversary of Ice Cube's 'Kill at Will' EP. A footnote of sorts to O'Shea Jackson's incendiary debut LP 'Amerikkka's Most Wanted' (and released just a few months later), standout cuts from this 7 track EP include an alternate version of Endangered Species featuring Public Enemy's Chuck D, the sample heavy 'Jackin 4 Beats' and the reflective 'Dead Homiez'. Largely following in the politically charged footsteps of 'Amerikkka's Most Wanted', the EP's not without a couple of low points, occasionally drifting into 'shock value sells' territory, as with much of the later NWA affiliated material but remains a solid mini album and important release of its time.

This weekend (13th June 2015) marks the 15th Anniversary of Slum Village's seminal J Dilla produced 'Fantastic Volume 2' LP. Very little to be said about this record that's not already been said in countless Dilla career retrospectives already, but needless to say it's a Classic Material favourite with tracks from the album appearing in our year 2000 Rap Megamix. The album comes in at #2 on the Ego Trip Top 25 Rap Albums of 2000.

This weekend (22nd May 2015) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Eric B & Rakim's 3rd studio album 'Let The Rhythm Hit Em'. It would be the duo's penultimate Long Player, Rakim leaving to pursue a solo career following the release of 1992's 'Don't Sweat the Technique'. Both sonically and visually (the cover displaying the duo sporting gold jewellery in poses more typically associated with the late 80s), the album is less progressive than much of the year's output (see A Tribe Called Quest, X-Clan and others). That said, the album is widely considered a classic of the day primarily based on its lyricism and received the much coveted 5 mic rating in The Source. The album comes in at number 7 in Ego Trips Top 25 Rap albums of 1990. Chris Read's remix of the title cut appears on our Classic Material 1990 Bonus Tracks.

This weekend (16th May 2015) marked the 25th anniversary of the release of Ice Cube's politically charged debut LP 'Amerikkka's Most Wanted'. Produced by the Bomb Squad, the album is as uncompromising sonically as it is lyrically, bearing many of the hallmarks of the squad's production on early Public Enemy releases. The album displayed a more thoughtful style of lyricism than that evident on NWA releases and whilst the LP arguably courted controversy in a similar way to those of the group, there was without doubt a more focused political agenda here, a theme built upon in subsequent LPs, in particular the 1991 follow up 'Death Certificate'. The album comes in at #1 on Ego Trip's list of 1990's top rap albums. A track from Ice Cube's 'Kill at Will' EP which preceded the LP appears on our 1990 Rap Megamix.

This weekend (25th April 2015 to be more precise) marked the 20th Anniversary of the release of Mobb Deep's 'The Infamous' LP, in the minds of most their most solid long player. With production duties shared between the Queensbridge duo and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, the album picks up where Illmatic left off in terms of displaying a grittier, more melancholy side to Q-Tip's production. The album comes in at #2 in Ego Trip's list of 1995's Top 25 rap albums and tracks from the album appear on both our Classic Material 1995 Mixtape and 1995 Rap Megamix. 'Shook Ones Part II' from the album takes the #1 spot on Ego Trip's list of the year's Top 25 rap singles. Other singles from the album 'Temperature's Rising' and 'Survival of the Fittest' are surprisingly absent from the list but worthy of mention. You can also check Chris Read remixes of two tracks from the album produced in tribute to the production style of the day featured in our Classic Material 1995 Bonus Tracks.

Today (24th April 2015) marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of X-Clan's debut LP 'To The East Blackwards'. Packed with novel sample material, Afrocentric sentiment, black nationalist rhetoric and mystic terminology, it was a memorable debut, the popularity of which the group never quite succeeded in repeating (although we have to say we are remain big fans of the group's 1992 follow up 'Xodus' and group member Professor X's solo outings 'Years of the 9' and 'Puss 'n Boots'). Historically best remembered for Professor X's monologues "This is protected by the Red, the Black and the Green, with the key ..." which proliferated the album and subsequently those of group members and associates (see Isis and Queen Mother Rage), the album is still a solid listen front to back 25 years on. In the years after its release tragedy befell the group, DJ Sugar Shaft reportedly dying of complications of AIDS in 1995 and Professor X dying of meningitis in 2006.

Of all the albums we've featured since writing these anniversary posts, this is the first not to be available in full on Youtube, although you can check the reasonable quality MTV rips of the videos for singles from the album, 'Funkin' Lesson' and 'Heed the Word of The Brother'.

On Friday last week Classic Material's Chris Read put out a new mixtape for WhoSampled x Wax Poetics
in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest’s debut
LP ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm’. In the four
short days since it went online it’s already clocked over 20,000 plays
across Mixcloud and Soundcloud, hit the #1 spot in Mixcloud‘s Top 100 mixes and been picked up by the cream of the internet’s credible music publications: Complex Magazine, Fact Mag, Okay Player, Ego Trip among others. Tracklist follows:

This week marked the 25th Anniversary of the release of Public Enemy's sample heavy classic 'Fear of a Black Planet' (released 10th April 1990). Sonically following in the footsteps of 1988's sophomore LP 'It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back', the album broke new ground in its use of samples with heavily layered cuts delivering busy but memorable backdrops to the album's political lyrical content. Among the album's memorable moments are Fight the Power (a cut previously featured on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1989 movie 'Do The Right Thing') and 'Welcome to the Terrordome' (both released as singles). Flava Flav played a more central role on this than previous albums leading on two further singles from LP, '911 Is A Joke' and 'Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man'. 'Welcome to the Terrordome' appears on our 1990 Rap Megamix (the single topping Ego Trip's Top 25 Rap Singles of 1990). The album coming in at number three on their list of the year's Top 25 Rap Albums.

Public Enemy fans will know the group has traditionally been somewhat protective over their online presence with few tracks other than live versions having an official presence on Youtube. Thanks however to Youtube's recent taking of matters into their own hands, the album is now present in full.

Released the same day (28th March 1995) as Big L's debut (see below) was ODB's solo debut 'Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version', the second solo album from a Wu member following the group's 1993 debut '36 Chambers'. ODB's LP follows in the footsteps of that debut not only in title, but also in sonics with the majority of the album's production handled by RZA and guest vocal appearances coming courtesy of the group's core members Method Man, Ghostface and Raekwon. Extracts from the album's second single 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya' appear on our 1995 Rap Megamix. The album comes in at #4 in Ego Trip's list of 1995's Top 25 Rap Albums.

This week also marks the 20th anniversary of Big L's debut LP 'Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous' (released March 28th 1995), his sole album release prior to his untimely death in 1999. (His second LP 'The Big Picture' was released posthumously in 2000). Lifestylez features production from many of the greats of the era, Buckwild, Kid Capri, Lord Finesse & Showbiz. The lead (and most popular) single from the album 'Put It On' (featuring Kid Capri), released at the tail end of 1994, features on both our 1994 Rap Megamix and Classic Material 1994 Mixtape. The album comes in at #25 in Ego Trip's list of 1995's Top 25 Rap Albums.

This week marked the 25th Anniversary of Digital Underground's seminal debut LP 'Sex Packets' (released 26th March 1990), an album that stands alone among West Coast albums of the day with its trademark blend of humour, character play and of course beats based on a rich collection of P-Funk influenced sample sources. Two tracks from the album (and its singles) appeared on our 1990 Rap Megamix and the album comes in at #18 in Ego Trip's list of 1990's Top 25 Rap Albums.

Once again Youtube deliver the goods - you can stream the complete album here.

Today (13th March 2015) marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Poor Righteous Teachers' classic debut LP 'Holy Intellect'. Three tracks from the album and its singles appear on our Classic Material 1990 mixtape. Once
again Youtube has delivered the goods with its recent catalogue
uploading, making the full album available as an official Youtube
playlist.

Today (22nd February 2015) marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Above the Law's classic debut LP 'Livin' Like Hustlers'. Produced by Dr Dre and executive produced by Eazy-E, it's not a record that received the same sort of mainstream notoriety as some other NWA affiliated releases, but it is still considered by many to be one of the better executed albums of the era / genre and is one of our personal favourites. 'What Cha Can Prove' (a single only remix of album track 'Untouchable') appears on our Classic Material 1990 mixtape. (Side note: the video for 'Untouchable' holds the dubious honour of probably being the first rap video to feature a speedboat chase and also features classic scenes such as Eazy-E being served a giant mobile phone on a silver platter.) Once again Youtube has delivered the goods with its recent catalogue uploading, making the full album available as an official Youtube playlist.

This weekend marked the 20th Anniversary of Tha Alkaholiks sophomore album 'Coast II Coast'. Activity here on the blog has been a bit sporadic lately so we're going to start by dropping by once in a while with some relevant music from the vaults. Timing is good because Youtube are in the middle of trying to beat Spotify at their own game, so a decent proportion of those classic albums are now up on Youtube with licensed streams in ready made playlists.

The Classic Material blog's been feeling a bit unloved for the past few months so with a new year upon us it seems like a good time to get things back in gear. We overlooked posting about this mix produced for Wax Poetics and WhoSampled last year, so here's a little reminder. (Check it out on the mixes page).

We've got some exciting new projects in the pipeline for 2015 - watch this space!

A continuation of sorts from The Diary and Classic Material mix series,
'The Breaks of ...' revisits the chronological theme of those mixes,
this time reconstructing classic hip hop from the year in question
utilising only the original sample material. Originally released on
Limited Edition Cassette in the summer of 2013, I thought it was about
time these mixes got an airing online. This edition reconstructs the hits of 1988. Artwork by John Brotherhood in
tribute to the Ultimate Breaks and Beats series, the original sampled
breaks collection. We hope you enjoy!

A continuation of sorts from The Diary and Classic Material mix series,
'The Breaks of ...' revisits the chronological theme of those mixes,
this time reconstructing classic hip hop from the year in question
utilising only the original sample material. Originally released on
Limited Edition Cassette in the summer of 2013, I thought it was about
time these mixes got an airing online. This edition reconstructs the hits of 1987. Artwork by John Brotherhood in
tribute to the Ultimate Breaks and Beats series, the original sampled
breaks collection. We hope you enjoy!

I’m very pleased to announce that this remix release for BBE Records x Delicious Vinyl (available exclusively on 7inch vinyl double pack), is out now and available to purchase from Juno among other typical outlets. Blurb from BBE below:

“In the closing months of 2012 BBE label artist Chris Read was enlisted by classic Los Angeles imprint Delicious Vinyl to produce a mixtape for Wax Poetics magazine celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the release of The Pharcyde’s seminal debut LP ‘Bizarre Ride’. The resulting mix
was a runaway success clocking tens of thousands of plays online and
kickstarted a relationship with the label that would go on to see Chris
remix two of the group’s best loved tracks, ‘Runnin’ and ‘Passin Me By’.

Those tracks are now available for the first time on this limited edition BBE x Delicious Vinyl double vinyl 7inch release. Treating the familiar original with respect, Chris has called upon the vocal talents of long time collaborators Lizzy Parks (Tru Thoughts) and guitarist Giles Barratt (Breakin Bread)
to rework passages from ‘Runnin’ to create a 2014 update on the themes
of the much loved Jay Dee produced classic. ‘Passin Me By’ meanwhile
gets a ’90s throwback rework utilising sample material from the original
to great effect to create a track which bears all the hallmarks of the
golden era.

Mastered and cut by Walter Coelho who cut Jay Dee’s ‘Welcome to Detroit’ back in 2001, the circle is complete!”

It's been up on the downloads page here for some time but we haven't yet given it a mention here on the blog so before we move on to new releases, here's a quick reminder of this mix put together for WhoSampled and Mr Bongo in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Incredible Bongo Band's classic 'Bongo Rock' LP.

Last year we rounded off our series of Classic Material mixes with a mix covering the years 2001 to 2005
which didn't feature as part of the original CD series. Our intention
had been to supplement that with a final mix covering the years 2006 to
2010, but new projects got underway and other priorities took over so
that idea has been parked for the foreseeable. That said, we wanted to wrap up
the series in some way before getting this year's project underway, so
here are the bonus tracks that were intended to go along with that mix:
A selection of remixes of music released between 2006 and 2010 put together by Classic Material's Chris Read back in 2009 /2010. Many have been available before in some
format, but some have not been available until now.

Five brand new photo prints produced in collaboration with Classic Material contributor Normski are now available to purchase from our online store. Featured artists include Ice Cube, De La Soul, Dr Dre, Eric B and Guru.

Produced in conjunction with Wax Poetics and WhoSampled and mixed by
Classic Material's Chris Read, this mix celebrates the 20th Anniversary
of A Tribe Called Quest's 'Midnight Marauders'. Original album
tracks and original
sample material in the mix. At the time of writing it has been streamed almost 60,000 times on Soundcloud and Mixcloud.

Produced in conjunction with Wax Poetics and WhoSampled and mixed by Classic Material's Chris Read, this mix celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Souls of Mischief's seminal debut '93 til Infinity'. Original album tracks, remixes and alternate versions, interview extracts and original sample material in the mix. At the time of writing it has been streamed over 20,000 times on Soundcloud and Mixcloud.

Commissioned mix for Adidas Originals & WhoSampled pairing some of Hip Hop's biggst names with the tracks they have sampled. Features the likes of Common, Mos Def, The Beatnuts and many more. At the time of writing, the mix has been streamed over 40,000 times.

” ‘Rap Tradition’ is not only a title but a mission statement as
guest vocalist Phill Most leads the fast-rap renaissance. Fondly
recalling an era of innovation and the competitive spirit of the battle,
the track is a lyrical ode the genre’s traditions. Sitting atop a
pounding drum track which is equal parts crisp 2013 production and
homage to the classic beat makers of the late ’80s, deft wordplay weaves
in and out of punchy drums, horn stabs, hints of hammond and a
captivating bass groove. With a nod to ’80s greats 45 King and Marley
Marl, it’s a track which follows in the footsteps of those playfully
keeping their tradition alive: NuMark, DJ Format, Cut Chemist et al.”

Put together as a guest mix for WhoSampled
by Classic Material's Chris Read in July 2013 to coincide with the
release of Jay Z's 'Magna Carta, Holy Grail' album. Here's what they had to say about it at the
time:

"Coinciding
with the release of Jay-Z's twelfth studio album 'Magna Carta... Holy
Grail', once again we dig in the vaults, this time to bring you a
retrospective of some of our favourite source material from Jay-Z's 20+
year career. With a little bias toward the late '90s classics which
forged his reputation as a major player, we take in samples sources from
early 90s collaborations with Jaz and Original Flavor all the way
through to 'Magna Carta... Holy Grail'. Many of the classics are
represented and a few less prominent cuts too."

Put together as a guest mix for WhoSampled
by Classic Material's Chris Read in June 2013 to coincide with the
release of Kanye's 'Yeezus' album. Here's what they had to say about it at the
time:

"As Yeezus fever grips the internet ahead of tomorrow's official
release of Kanye's electronic opus, we thought it a perfect opportunity
to review some of the source material that has made Kanye consistently
one of our site's most popular artists. With a nod to the quirky sources
of the forthcoming Yeezus and the trademark vocal chops of Cruel
Summer, we revisit the early years of the Soul on 45 sound that made his
debut LP a timeless classic and reference his wholesale reworkings of
classics from the likes Curtis Mayfield, Ray Charles, Otis Redding and
others: A whistle-stop tour of some of our favourite moments in the
career of the poster boy for contemporary popular sample based Hip Hop."

In
celebration of the 20th Anniversary of The Pharcyde's seminal 'Bizarre
Ride' album and in support of the group's 2012 'Bizarre Ride Live' tour
Classic Material resident DJ Chris Read put together this special mix for OG
West Coast label
Delicious Vinyl in conjunction with Wax Poetics.
Comprising original album tracks, remixes, instrumentals,
acapellas, original sample material and even some interview snippets
from the time of release, this 40 minute mix takes in the high points of
this incredible album and summarises why to us (and many others) it is a
timeless classic.

In March 2011, Classic Material resident DJ & curator Chris Read released his first official mix for the BBE label, a mix in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of BBE's Beat Generation series which accompanied similar mixes from DJ Spinna and Mr Thing on the digital version of the official 10th Anniversary Compilation and Mix Album.

It's been a long road over the last few months to get all of the Classic Material bonus tracks up on to Bandcamp, but we're finally at the end of the series. Well, we say that - we are considering putting together a Classic Material #16 mixtape so, if that happens, it's not unlikely that we'll have some bonus tracks to accompany that but for now at least, this is the final bundle. And it's a bumper one - 7 tracks this week, among them 3 that have never been available before on either CD or online! This collection of Chris Read remixes includes tracks by Kev Brown, Jay Dee, Little Brother, Checkmate, and Big Daddy Kane & DJ Premier.

Beyond content relating to the year 2000, we're switching up the format a little covering a longer time period with each of the final editions. Edition #14, covering material for the year 2000, marked the end of our initial series of events and monthly box set releases, following which Classic Material changed its focus to more one off projects, exhibitions, products and spending more time on our online endeavours. Bringing things more up to date, this mixtape covering material from the years 2001 to 2005 was released about this time last year to coincide with our first collaboration with Normski and FootPatrol.

For the past 3 to 4 months we've been posting a new free download bundle on Bandcamp each week, each one containing the bonus tracks from one of the now sold out Classic Material
CD series. Those bonus tracks were a mixture of material previously
featured on the Diary mixtapes and new remixes produced especially for
the Classic Material CDs. To round off the series, here is a full
download of the final CD of the series, a sort of 'best of' the remixes,
previously limited to just 100 physical copies. The collection features
14 Chris Read Remixes taken from Classic Material Editions #1 to #14
featuring artists including Heavy D, Kool Chip, Ultramagnetic MCs, Erick
Sermon, The Beatnuts and Common, each produced in tribute to the
production styles popular at the time of original release.

It doesn't quite end here though, there will also be a bonus tracks download for the digi-only Classic Material #15 which will include some new remixes never before available either online or on CD! Watch this space for details.

Those in attendance at our recent launch party may have been lucky enough to take home a copy of this exclusive cassette only mix, 'Classic Material: The Breaks'. Limited to just 100 copies, they were only available to those who attended our Soho pop up store and a select handful of close friends of Classic Material. We may in due course make some of the audio available online though so watch this space!

With the main portion of our year by year rap history run down now complete, this seems an opportune time to introduce our Season 3 product range. Two weeks ago we launched Classic Material's third range of T-Shirts in collaboration with Foot Patrol and photographer Normski. The launch night at our Soho pop-up store supported by Celia Lager was a huge success. The team at Nonsense put a great video documenting the event together for us, which premiered this week on Slam X Hype.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
free download of bonus tracks from our Classic Material CD for the year.
This week's edition
includes a remix of a West Coast indie classic from Jurassic 5
in stylistic
tribute to production trends of the day and another of our classic
megamixes.

In previous weeks our top 25 album chart has been delivered courtesy of
Ego Trip's book of rap lists. Unfortunately that resource only takes us
as far as 1998 so we're now left to do the work ourselves. Beyond the end of the 90s the scene is pretty splintered, so the following
list is presented in no particular order and is a mixture of personal
favourites and albums with notable impact:

The year 2000 of course signals the beginning of a new decade and the end of what many
consider to be hip hop's greatest era, the 90s. The year 2000 marked a
turning point for the Indie scene with artists such as De La Soul, DJ
Premier and others proving to the so called 'back pack' fraternity that
credibility and club friendly / commercial music could co-exist. It's a landmark year for us here at Classic Material since it was the last year covered by our initial series of events and mixes. There have of course been a number of follow up projects, but it's the year that closes our year by year run down. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key mainstream events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- Outkast
continues to sit at the cutting edge of mainstream hip-hop with their
fourth LP, 'Stankonia'. As praised as their previous work and
containing their two biggest commercial hits thus far, the group graduate
from critics' darlings to superstars.

- Eminem's second album, 'The Marshall Mathers LP', is a huge
hit, (eventually becoming one of the best-selling rap albums of
all-time). A more personal album than his previous one, (but even more
inflammatory), it catapults Em into rap superstardom and creates controversy for its homophobic content. Despite a small backlash, he maintains credibility in the
hip-hop community while remaining immensely popular (and controversial)
outside of it.

- Jay-Z continues his reign as a figurehead of mainstream hip-hop with the release of 'Dynasty: Roc-La-Familia', an album featuring up and coming
artists from the Roc-A-Fella
Records label, founded by Jay-Z with business partner Damon Dash.

- St. Louis-based rapper Nelly debuts with 'Country Grammar'. The
album is a monster hit, it's success (and that of other rappers from
New Orleans, Houston, and Detroit) prove that hip-hop has moved farther
away from bi-coastal domination.

This remix of Jurassic 5's 'Quality Control' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 2000, here's a
quick reminder of our own 2000 mixtape. Classics from the
likes of Mos Def, De La Soul and Common appear alongside
lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 2000, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 200 mix on Mixcloud here or download from Brooklyn Radio here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a free download of bonus tracks from our Classic Material CD for the year. This week's edition
includes a remix of an indie era classic from Common (originally produced by 45 King)
in stylistic
tribute to production trends of the day and another of our classic megamixes.

In previous weeks our top 25 album chart has been delivered courtesy of Ego Trip's book of rap lists. Unfortunately that resource only takes us as far as 1998 so we're now left to do the work ourselves. The scene is pretty splintered by the time we hit the end of the 90s so the following list is presented in no particular order and is a mixture of personal favourites and albums with notable impact:

1999 was a year which marked a coming of age for the Indie Hip Hop scene.
Whereas the previous year had been dominated by leftfield and arguably
less accessible indie releases, 1999 delivered more accomplished and
club friendly indie releases with labels such as Rawkus really growing
into their hype. At the more commercial end of the spectrum big budget
albums including Dre's Chronic 2001 delivered on expectations. Other
notable albums from the year include DJ Spinna's Heavy Beats Volume 1
and underground classics including MF Doom's 'Operation Doomsday' and
Lootpack's 'Soundpieces'. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key mainstream events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- Nas releases
his third album, 'I Am...', to mixed reviews and mediocre sales, as does
its rushed follow-up 'Nastradamus', furthering the Queensbridge
rapper's downward career slide.

- With the continuing multiplatinum success of Cash Money Records
out of New Orleans and hit albums by Atlanta-based Ludacris and the
Hypnotized Mindz Camp from Memphis. the South looks to eclipse the West Coast in overall popularity and sales.

- Jay-Z, DMX, Redman and Method Man embark on the 'Hard Knock Life
Tour', one of hip-hop's most successful major tours in around a decade.

- Lauryn Hill's debut album wins five Grammy awards, including Album of the Year; the first hip-hop album to do so.

- Now signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem makes
his major label debut with 'The Slim Shady LP'. The album and debut
single, 'My Name Is', announce the darkly comical rapper as a star in
the rap world. The rapper garners both praise for his wit
and creativity and derision for the album's misogyny and vulgarity.

- Mos Def and Talib Kweli, collectively known as Black Star (pictured above)
release their eponymous debut. With their thoughtful, intelligent lyrics
and laid-back approach, the album, along with Mos Def's solo debut, 'Black On Both Sides', delivers the sound of Hip Hop's independent underground to wider audiences.

- Slick Rick releases 'The Art of Storytelling', his first album
since being released from prison two years earlier. It is praised as a return-to-form for the MC.

- Puff Daddy releases 'Forever'. It fails to match the success of
his debut and disappears from the charts quickly. To add insult to
injury, Ma$e, the biggest star on his Bad Boy label after Puffy himself leaves rap music behind to pursue religious ministry.

- Eve, a brash young female rapper from DMX's Ruff Ryders posse,
releases her debut album 'Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders First Lady'. Despite a degree of pop gloss, her presence is viewed by some as a welcome departure
from the money-and-sex obsessed rhymes of most of her
female contemporaries.

- Underground sensation Big L is shot and killed just blocks away from his home.

- After touring successfully for years, Run DMC return to
recording after a six-year hiatus. The album, 'Crown Royal', is both a
critical and commercial disappointment. Featuring little-to-no input
from DMC, a bevy of guest stars and spawning only one moderate hit, it
throws the future of legendary trio into doubt.

- Dr. Dre finally releases a proper follow-up to his 1992
masterpiece, 'The Chronic'. '2001' is a strong return to form for the
producer/rapper, with guest appearances by his new protege, Eminem and
a long-awaited reunion with Snoop Dogg.

- At a New Year's Eve party at club New York, Puff Daddy and his
girlfriend, actress/singer Jennifer Lopez get into an altercation with
some patrons that turns into a shootout. After fleeing from the scene,
they are arrested on charges of aggravated assault.

This remix of Common's 'Car Horn' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1999, here's a
quick reminder of our own
1999 mixtape. Classics from the
likes of Rakim, The Roots and Common appear alongside
lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1999, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1999 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
new download of bonus tracks. This week's edition
includes a previous unreleased remix of DJ Honda & The Beatnuts and another remix of an indie era classic from Unspoken Heard both produced in stylistic
tribute to production trends of the day.

1998 is a year often celebrated as the pinnacle of the late 90s 'Indie'
era. Revered independent labels including Rawkus, ABB, Fondle Em and
countless other less well known imprints released some of their
strongest material during the year. Major labels were quick to get in on
the act with Tommy Boy launching its 'Black Label' imprint as an outlet
for less commercial sounding output from the likes of Defari and DV
Alias Khrist. Notable albums include Black Star seminal debut,
Tribe Called Quest's Ummah produced 'Love Movement' and Pete Rock's star
studded solo debut 'Soul Survivor'. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- DMX
makes his debut with 'It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'. It becomes a monster
hit and signals a return of gritty, hardcore rap after a year of the
more radio-friendly, Bad Boy-influenced party-rap.

- Master
P's No Limit Records continues to churn out one hit album after the
other. Even though critics and hip-hop purists scoff at the cheap
production and lackluster artists on the label. Seeking to strike while
he's hot, P also creates No Limit Films, No Limit Wireless, and his own
Percy Miller Clothing Line.

- Jay-Z's
third album, "Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life," becomes his biggest-seller and
restores some of his credibility in hip-hop circles.

- Lauryn
Hill (pictured), formerly of the Fugees, releases her solo debut, 'The Miseducation
of Lauryn Hill'. With an emphasis on confessional songwriting and a
powerful mix of rap, reggae, gospel, soul and folk, it becomes the
most-acclaimed album of the year and thrusts Hill into international
stardom.

- 'Aquemini',
the third outing for Atlanta rappers Outkast, is a startling leap
forward for the group. Combining live instrumentation with thought-provoking
and forward-thinking lyrics, as well as meshing hip-hop, country, soul,
techno, and funk elements, the album follows Lauryn Hill's debut as one
of the most acclaimed albums of the year, though it isn't as successful
commercially.

- After
releasing their fifth album, 'The Love Movement', A Tribe Called Quest
abruptly announce their breakup. Lead rapper Q-Tip immediately embarks
on a solo career.

- Seeking a career rebirth, Snoop Dogg signs with Master P's No Limit label and rush-releases two lackluster albums.

- With a
chain of restaurants, ("Justin's"), a clothing line, ("Sean John"), and a
celebrity girlfriend, (Jennifer Lopez), Puff Daddy becomes the most
recognized man in hip-hop.

- West Coast underground rapper C-Bo goes to jail as a judge claims his violent lyrics are a violation of his probation.

- Upstart
New Orleans label Cash Money Records signs a 100M distribution deal with
Universal and releases albums from Juvenile, Lil Wayne and B.G.
confirming the 'Dirty' South as hip-hop's new second coast.

- Rap-rock
explodes into the mainstream as albums by Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Kid
Rock sell huge numbers, confirming the influence of hip-hop in
general (and Run DMC in particular) on an entire generation.

- After
appearing on the song '4, 3, 2, 1' with LL Cool J, young up-and-comer
Canibus releases '2nd Round K.O.', a scathing diss of the legendary
rapper. LL responds with 'The Ripper's Back', returning some of the
street credibility to his career after a string of pop hits.

- Later the same year DMX releases his sophomore album, 'Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My
Blood'. He becomes the first rap artist to have two number one albums in
the same year.

- Puff Daddy, Russell Simmons, and Master P all appear on Forbes' Top Moneymakers in Entertainment of 1998.

- Big
Punisher, a Puerto-Rican MC from the Bronx; releases his debut album, 'Capital Punishment', and becomes the first Hispanic solo rapper to have
a platinum-selling album.

A snapshot of 1998's most popular hip hop album releases, borrowing the top 25 list from the rap nerd's
bible that is Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. This will be the last Ego Trip we'll be publishing here on the site, the last to appear in the book. Stay tuned for new features in coming weeks:

This remix of Unspoken Heard's 'Better' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day,
in this case a nod to the fluid jazzy production appearing on key tracks from the era such as Fortified Live's '2000 Seasons'.

A snapshot of 1998's most popular single releases, borrowing the top 40 list from the rap nerd's
bible that is Ego Trip's
Book of Rap Lists. As we mentioned in connection with the 1997 list, as we enter the late 90s,
the content of these release lists starts to deviate fairly dramatically
from the personal tastes of the Classic Material curators (as is
evidenced by the fact that very few of the records listed here appear on
our 1998 mixtape):

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1998, here's a
quick reminder of our own
1998 mixtape. Classics from the
likes of Gang Starr, Pete Rock, Paula Perry and Black Star appear alongside
lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1998, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1998 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
new download of bonus tracks. This week's edition
includes remixes of The Beatnuts and X-Men both produced in stylistic
tribute to production trends of the day.

1997 is a year which many associate with the dawn of the so called 'Indie'
era. The music of 1997 set the stage the development of two distinct
sounds over the following years, the underground independent sound
nurtured by labels such as Correct, ABB, Rawkus et al and the
commercial sound of the major labels typified by the output of artists
such as Jay Z, Foxy Brown and others. Whilst the independent productions
of the likes of Shawn J Period and DJ Hi Tek certainly broke new
ground, the commercial output should not be written off, with novel
sample sources still playing an important role (see Lord Tariq &
Peter Gunz' use of Steely Dan or Lil Kim's use of Jeff Lorber for
example). Notable albums include, of course, Notorious B.I.G's (pictured above) seminal
'Life After Death' and at the other end of the spectrum Jurassic 5's
debut 'J5' EP and Company Flow's leftfield classic 'Funcrusher Plus'. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- After
a year of critical acclaim, The Fugees announce that they are going
their seperate ways, citing creative differences. Wyclef Jean almost
immediately begins work on his solo debut.

- After
leaving the Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles, the Notorious B.I.G.
is shot and killed in a drive-by shooting that eerily resembles that which claimed 2Pac's life six months earlier. With the twin murders of two of
it's biggest stars, the hip-hop community is forced to take stock of itself
and what it represents. B.I.G.'s second album, the prophetically titled 'Life After Death', is released only a few days after his killing and
becomes the best-selling rap album of all time.

- Sean Combs, now calling himself 'Puff Daddy' releases two benefit singles as memoriam to the slain Notorious B.I.G.

- The
Wu-Tang Clan release their second album, the double LP 'Wu-Tang
Forever'. It sells well but fails to match the critical respect of the
group's more acclaimed debut.

- Suge Knight is sentenced to four years in prison for parole violation.

- After
writing and producing hits for MC Lyte and R&B groups Xscape and
702, female rap artist Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott releases her debut
album, 'Supa Dupa Fly'. It is a triumph and she is praised for
her wit and quirky musical approach.

- Puff
Daddy makes his debut as an artist with 'No Way Out'. Spawning four top
ten singles, the album becomes a monster hit and makes Puffy the biggest
star on the Bad Boy label in the wake of B.I.G.'s murder.

- Snoop Dogg finally releases his second album, the lackluster 'The
Doggfather'. After the album fails to sell, Snoop announces he is
leaving the crumbling Death Row Records.

- After
starring in his third-straight summer blockbuster, 'Men In Black', Will
Smith confirms his status as one of the biggest box-office draws of the
90s. In a somewhat surprising move, he also returns to music, releasing
his first solo album, 'Big Willie Style'. Though lightweight, it becomes
one of the best-selling albums of the year.

- Ending a
five-year period of seclusion that saw his reputation as a lyricist
reach near-mythic proportions, Rakim finally makes his return with 'The
18th Letter', his solo debut.

- After
operating in obscurity in the Deep South for almost a decade, New
Orleans based rapper-entrepeneur Master P releases 'Ghetto D'. Derided
by critics as an untalented hack, the album nonetheless becomes a hit
and opens the floodgates for a wealth of New Orleans gangsta rap to hit
the airwaves. Master P, as founder and CEO of the No Limit record label,
unexpectedly becomes one of the most powerful men in hip-hop.

- Emerging from the shadow of Notorious B.I.G, Bad
Boy rapper Ma$e releases his debut album, 'Harlem World'. It is a smash
and confirms Bad Boy's status as one of the most commercially successful labels in rap.

- Def Jam
Records signs Jay-Z and releases popular albums by rappers Redman,
Method Man, and Foxy Brown, signalling a return to form for Russell
Simmons and rap's longest-running label.

- Simmons
also signs a newly-reformed EPMD and DMX, an intense MC from Yonkers.
Jay-Z releases his second album, 'In My Lifetime, Vol. 1'. It sells much
better than his debut, but critics deride it as a flaky attempt to
reach a crossover audience.

- Afeni
Shakur, mother of the slain 2Pac Shakur, releases 'R U Still Down
(Remember Me)', a double-album of unreleased material the rapper
recorded prior to his death. It is the beginning of a flood of songs,
compilations and albums from the deceased rap star's vaults.

This remix of The Beatnuts' 'Off The Books' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day,
in this case a nod to the Beatnuts' own productions from the era.

A snapshot of 1997's single releases, borrowing the top 40 list from the rap nerd's
bible that is Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. At this point it's probably worth pointing out that the content of these release lists starts to deviate fairly dramatically from the personal tastes of the Classic Material curators (as is evidenced by the fact that very few of the records listed here appear on our 1997 mixtape). The same is largely true of the lists for 1996. Nonetheless it's interesting to see the divergence of taste and opinion as the decade draws to a close so in the interests of completeness we'll continue to post these.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1997, here's a
quick reminder of our own
1997 mixtape. Classics from the
likes of D.I.T.C, Gang Starr, The Beatnuts and Rakim appear alongside
lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1997, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1997 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
new download of bonus tracks. This week's edition
includes a remix never before
available online, plus a previously released remix both produced in stylistic
tribute to production trends of the day.

1996 is a year which marks a turning point for the genre with a divide
growing between the popular RnB influenced sound and the underground
'independent' sound blossoming in reaction to it. Whilst many
established artists including De La Soul openly attacked the emerging
commercial sound of the day, artists such as Busta Rhymes managed to
retain underground credibility and deliver more chart friendly offerings
for major labels. Notable album releases include the Fugees'
(pictured above) commercially succesful yet credible 'The Score', Tribe Called Quest's
Ummah produced 4th album, 'Beats Rhymes and Life', Jay Z's 'Reasonable
Doubt' and Jeru's 'Wrath of the Math' in stark contrast to it. Debut
releases from Kool Keith alias Dr Octagon and newcomers Company Flow set
the tone for a new breed of leftfield acts. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- 2Pac
releases his fourth album, 'All Eyez On Me', hip-hop's first
double-disc of all-original material and his first album for Death Row
Records. It becomes a hit and raising the rap star's ever growing profile.

- Underground
sensation Jay-Z begins a budding friendship with the Notorious B.I.G.
and releases his first two mainstream singles, 'Dead Presidents' and
'Ain't No N*gga'. Both are moderate hits and help build anticipation for
his debut album.

- Cleveland
rappers Bone Thugs-N-Harmony release, 'The Crossroads,' the second
single from their critically-acclaimed 1995 album, 'E. 1999-Eternal'.
With it's heartfelt lyrics and funereal production, it becomes a huge
hit and is nominated for a Grammy.

- Alternative
rap group The Fugees release their second album, 'The Score', a
stirring mix of reggae, rap, and soul, the album is one of the most
acclaimed of the year and the group members, (Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill,
and Pras) are thrust into the spotlight.

- Nas
finally releases 'It Was Written', the follow-up to his landmark 'Illmatic'. With the lyrical focus shifting from street poetry to a
glamorised criminal lifestyle and the production becoming more slick
and accessible, he is bashed by hip-hop purists for selling out to a pop
audience.

- Dr. Dre
abruptly announces he's leaving Death Row Records. He goes on to form a new label, Aftermath
Entertainment.

- Will Smith stars in the action sci-fi flick 'Independence Day', raising his profile as an A-list celebrity in Hollywood.

- Jay-Z's
debut album, 'Reasonable Doubt' is released to much praise from critics but disappointing initial sales.

- After
leaving a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, a car carrying Suge Knight
and Tupac Shakur is riddled with gunfire. Though Suge only suffers minor
injuries, 2Pac, after fighting for his life for seven days in a
hospital, dies from his wounds.

- Southern
rap duo Outkast release their second album, "ATLiens." It is critically
acclaimed for it's positive outlook, progressive lyrics and a more
futuristic production style.

- The
Notorious B.I.G. is almost killed in a car accident in New Jersey. With
his leg partially shattered, he is forced to walk with a cane.

- Eminem, a
White rapper from Detroit, releases his debut album, 'Infinite', on a
small indie label. Despite displaying a flair for clever, witty rhymes,
the album goes largely unnoticed by fans and critics.

- A Tribe
Called Quest release their fourth album, 'Beats, Rhymes, & Life'. For the first time in their storied career, the trio is bashed by critics for
releasing a half-hearted album. The album however displays the early examples of Dilla's stripped down production style that would go on to shape the course of seminal underground releases for years to come.

- Two
debuts by two new female rappers, B.I.G. protege Lil Kim and Foxy Brown, albums that feature a heavy emphasis on sex and
materialism, signal a change in direction for female MCs in hip-hop.

This remix of Busta Rhymes's 'Woo Hah Got You All In Check' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day, in this case a nod to the mid 90s output of Tribe and the Ummah.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1996, here's a
quick reminder of our own
1996 mixtape. Classics from the
likes of Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes, Tribe Called Quest and Jeru appear alongside
lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1996, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1996 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
new download of bonus tracks. This one's extra special since it
includes a two remixes never before
available online, one of Mobb Deep's 'Shook Ones' and another of Erick Sermon's 'Bomdigi', both in stylistic
tribute to production trends of the day.

The output of 1995 arguably typifies what is often referred to as the
'mid 90s sound', with filtered and layered grooves accompanying crisp
programmed drums at a tempo generally far lower than in previous years.
The general trend for decreasing tempos peaked in '95 with a significant
proportion of single releases barely breaking the 90bpm mark. 1995
is also notable for the rise of a darker more melancholy production
style with even the darkest of backdrops (Mobb Deep's Shook Ones Part 2
for example) scoring as unlikely club hits. There were of course also a
host of more typically upbeat club tracks, Blahzay Blahzay's 'Danger'
and ODB's 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya' being good examples. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- 2Pac
is shot in what appears to be a robbery outside of a New York recording
studio only days after being found guilty of sexual assault. He checks
himself out of the hospital and appears in court in a wheelchair for his
sentencing. He immediately accuses the Notorious B.I.G. (a former
friend) and Puffy Combs for orchestrating the attack. Nonetheless, he
begins serving his five-year prison term.

- Eccentric
Wu-Tang Clan member, Ol' Dirty Bastard gains notoriety by picking up
food stamps in a limousine while appearing on MTV. He is promptly
arrested.

- 2Pac
releases his third album, 'Me Against the World' while still in prison.
It's more thoughtful and introspective approach earns him the biggest
critical praise of his career and his legend grows among hip-hop fans as
he showcases his more tortured and self-conscious side.

- At the
Source Awards, Suge Knight publicly insults Sean "Puffy" Combs onstage
adding fuel to the ever-growing tensions between the East Coast and West
Coast and the feud between his L.A. based Death Row Records and Combs' New
York based Bad Boy Entertainment.

- While filming the video for the song 'New York, New York,' members of the Death Row Records group Tha Dogg Pound are shot at.

- Eazy-E (pictured),
gangsta rap icon and co-founder of N.W.A., announces that he has
full-blown AIDS. After only a few days at Cedar-Sinai hospital for
treatment, he dies from pneumonia.

- Notorious
B.I.G. signs his proteges, the Junior M.A.F.I.A. to the small
Untertainment Label. Their debut album, "Conspiracy" is a moderate hit
and provides a showcase for a young female rapper named Lil Kim.

- Will Smith stars in the buddy-cop action film "Bad Boys". It becomes one of the biggest hits of the year.

- Chicago-bred
female rapper Da Brat releases her debut album, 'Funkdafied'. It
becomes the first album by a solo female rapper to go platinum.

- At the
end of the year, Suge Knight bails 2Pac out of prison and immediately
signs the embattled rapper to Death Row Records. With Knight's hatred of
Sean "Puffy" Combs and 2Pac's belief that the Notorious B.I.G.
conspired against him; the conflict between Death Row and Bad Boy
Entertainment intensifies.

Guest DJ at our 1995 event was former DMC Champ and in demand London club rocker DJ Matman. Not content with rocking a tidy set at the event, Mat kindly put together a two part guest mix which pays tribute to the finest releases of the year with the usual style and flair.

This remix of Mobb Deep's 'Survival of the Fittest' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1995, here's a
quick reminder of our own
1995 mixtape. Classics from the
likes of Grand Puba, Das EFX, Common and Erick Sermon appear alongside
lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1995, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1995 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
new download of bonus tracks. This one's another special one since it
includes a remix never before
available online, a remix of Funkdoobiest's 'Rock On' in stylistic
tribute to the mid 90s output of producers such as Buckwild.

1994 was a year which for many is best remembered for giving us two of hip hop's
most revered debut albums, Nas' 'Illmatic' and Notorious B.I.G's 'Ready to
Die'. It was also a golden year for radio and mixtape DJs with tapes
from the likes of Funkmaster Flex, Stretch Armstrong, Doo Wop, Ron G and
others being a key outlet for the new breed of underground acts as well
as established names. Despite tempos generally drifting
downward in comparison with previous years and the general sound of the
year's output being laidback and largely jazz infused, '94 had its fair
share of anthems, Craig Mack's 'Flava In Your Ear', Gang Starr's 'Mass
Appeal' and Channel Live's 'Mad Izm' being notable examples. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- Arista
chief Clive Davis signs Bad Boy Entertainment to a
subsidiary/distribution deal. Puffy Combs begins work on the Notorious
B.I.G.'s debut album. After cameo appearances on several popular singles, B.I.G. finally
releases 'Ready to Die', his debut album for Bad Boy. It spawns two hit
singles, 'Juicy' and 'Big Poppa;' one hit remix, 'One More Chance', and
returns the East Coast to the top of the charts after a two-year
absence. It also elevates Puffy Combs' Bad Boy label to the top of
hip-hop.

- Queens
rapper Nas releases his solo debut, 'Illmatic'. It instantly
becomes one of the most critically-acclaimed rap albums of all time,
with Nas' lyrical skill giving rise to comparison with veterans of the scene such as Rakim.

- Snoop
Doggy Dogg releases the short film/soundtrack, 'Murder Was the Case'.
With it's graphic storytelling about a man being sentenced for murder
uncomfortably close to Snoop's real-life legal woes, many critics blast
the rapper for exploiting the unfortunate circumstances.

- 'Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik',
the debut album from Atlanta-based rap duo Outkast signals a shift from
hip-hop's bi-coastal grip. Loose and funky with clever lyrics, the group becomes a cult favourite among
hip-hop enthusiasts.

- Adding to a seemingly endless string of legal charges, 2Pac is charged with sexual assault by a female fan in New York City.

- Bone
Thugs-N-Harmony, a new Cleveland-based rap group discovered by Eazy-E,
release an EP called 'Creepin' On Ah Come-up'. Their sound is a
combination of double time raps over downtempo West Coast production and vocal harmonizing. The
single 'Thuggish Ruggish Bone' becomes a moderate hit.

This remix of The Beatnuts' 'Props Over Here' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1994, here's a quick reminder of our own
1994 mixtape, one of our most popular mixes to date. Classics from the likes of Common, Nas, Brand Nubian and The Beatnuts appear alongside lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1994, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1994 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a
new download of bonus tracks. This one's another special one since it includes a remix never before
available online, a remix of Da Youngstas' 'Iz U Wit Me' in stylistic tribute to early Pete Rock productions / remixes. One of our favourites from the series in fact.

1993 was a year which many consider the pinacle of the so called early 90s
golden era. Sampling and production techniques honed during the early
90s had reached a natural maturity by 1993 with key golden era producers
such as Pete Rock and the Beatnuts establishing their own trademark
sounds. The East Coast also ushered in a new harder edged sound with Wu
Tang Clan (pictured) and Onyx both delivering gritty debuts. On the West Coast, the 'G
Funk' sound which found its feet the year prior delivered arguably its
most accomplished album in the form of Snoop's seminal LP, Doggy Style.
1993 was also a great year for emerging undergound acts carving out
their own sound, Souls of Mischief being a notable example. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- KRS-One,
deciding on a change of approach, officially 'retires' the name Boogie
Down Productions, subsequently releasing albums only as KRS-One.

- A loose
collective of Staten Island MCs calling themselves the Wu-Tang Clan
featuring former Cold Chillin' artist The Genius release their first single, 'Protect Ya Neck.' It becomes an underground
hit, making anticipation for the nine-man crew's debut album
extremely high. Wu-Tang
Clan's debut album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers' is released in November that year to
critical acclaim but moderate sales. After the single, 'C.R.E.A.M.' is
released, the album begins a steady climb up the charts, beginning a new
age for hardcore, gritty East Coast hip-hop.

- 2Pac
releases his second album, "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z." Almost as
inflammatory as his debut, it also showcases a sensitive, thoughtful
side to the rapper. The single, "Keep Ya Head Up" is especially praised
as a love letter to Black women, and becomes his biggest hit to date.

- Run DMC make an unexpected return to the charts with their acclaimed comeback album, "Down With the King."

- Sean
"Puffy" Combs sets up his own label, Bad Boy
Entertainment, running the label initially from his apartment. The company grows rapidly, and
Combs soon signs two up-and-coming MCs, former EPMD roadie Craig Mack
and a former drug dealer from Brooklyn named Christopher Wallace aka
Notorious B.I.G.

- Dr. Dre
protege Snoop Doggy Dogg releases his highly-anticipated solo debut, 'DoggyStyle' for Death Row Records. The album is a monstrous hit,
becoming the first debut album to enter the Billboard chart at #1. Around the time of release, Snoop is implicated in the murder of a Long Beach
man and is charged with second-degree murder. Surprisingly, this does
nothing to slow his skyrocketing popularity.

- 2Pac is
arrested on charges of assault and battery after he attacks director
Allen Hughes on the set of the film "Menace II Society".

- MC Lyte
releases her first hardcore rap album in four years (after a brief foray
into more pop-friendly territory). Her hit single, 'Ruffneck,' becomes
the first rap single by a female artist to go gold and is nominated for
a Grammy.

- Craig
Mack's 'Funk Da World' becomes the first album to be released by the
fledgling Bad Boy Entertainment label. It eventually goes gold.

- Continuing
their string of brilliant albums, A Tribe Called Quest releases 'Midnight Marauders', which spawns their biggest hit to date, the
infectious single 'Award Tour'.

- 2Pac is
charged in the shooting of two off-duty police officers in Atlanta, GA.
The charges would later be dismissed. He also lands a second
high-profile film role, starring in John Singleton's urban romance 'Poetic Justice'. He follows that with yet another starring turn in the
basketball drama 'Above the Rim'.

- Queen
Latifah releases the uplifting respect anthem, 'U.N.I.T.Y.', which wins a
Grammy. Her third album, 'Black Reign', becomes the first gold
album for a solo female MC.

- C.
Deloris Tucker, Dionne Warwick, and several other high-profile moral
activists call for a boycott against gangsta-rap artists such as 2Pac,
Dr. Dre, and Snoop Doggy Dogg, citing the lyrics of much of their music
to be violent and misogynistic.

- Salt-N-Pepa
release their fourth album, 'Very Necessary'. It goes on to become the
best-selling rap album of all time by a female artist.

- After
six years and four critically-acclaimed albums, (and jump-starting the
career of close friend Redman) EPMD, one of underground rap's most respected
groups, announce that they are going their separate ways.

A Tribe Called Quest's 'Midnight Maruaders', released November 1993 is without doubt one of the genre's best loved albums, a 90s classic which broke new ground in terms of production techniques, sample material and lyrical content. As a well loved album it has, probably more so than almost any other album, seen its fair share of unofficial remixes and reworks. One of our favourites is from Houston beat maker The Are. You can listen to (and buy) the 'Producers I Know' affiliate's 'Manipulated Marauders' beat tape via bandcamp here.

This remix of The Whooliganz' 'Put Your Handz Up' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As
with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.
In the this instance some inspiration was taken from jazzy uptempo dancefloor cuts released at the time by the likes of Yaggfu Front and early Bush Babees cuts such as 'Swing It'.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1993, here's a quick reminder of our own
1993 mixtape. Classics from the likes of KRS One, Tribe Called Quest, Black Moon
and Main Source alongside lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1993, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1993 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here.
And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist
where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You
can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

In keeping with tradition, we wrap up our entries for the year with a new download of bonus tracks. This one's a little more special than the last couple of bonus giveaways since it includes a remix never before available online.

1992 was a year notable for shifts in production techniques and styles
and perhaps more importantly sampling trends. Abandoning over-saturated
funk standards in favour of obscure jazz samples, producers such
Showbiz, Diamond D, Q Tip and many others besides laid the foundations
for the laid back jazz led sound that characterised countless East Coast
classics of the early to mid 90s. On the West Coast, Dr Dre's seminal
Chronic LP also broke new ground in terms of production style with a
polished classicly LA sound that formed the blueprint for the 'G Funk'
sound which ruled supreme throughout the early 90s. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- 2Pac
Shakur, former roadie, dancer, and second-string MC for Digital
Underground, releases his debut album, '2Pacalypse Now'. It immediately
incites controversy for it's content, particular lyrics regarding police
officers. Vice President Dan Quayle even calls for a ban of the album
during his campaign for re-election. Shakur's visibility is also raised
by a star-making performance in the gritty urban drama 'Juice'.

- Body
Count, Ice-T's new rap-metal band, release their debut album. The song
'Cop Killa' ignites a firestorm of controversy. After nationwide protests from law enforcement
officials, Time-Warner pressures Ice-T to pull the song from the album
and eventually sells it's share of Interscope Records, the distributor.

- With
"Paul's Boutique" having obtained cult-classic status in the years following
its release, the Beastie Boys (pictured above) release their third album, 'Check Your Head'. It becomes a
smash hit debuting in the Top Ten and returning the Boys to the charts
for the first time since their debut album, although with a much
different sound.

- After
producing a successful album for R&B singer Mary J. Blige and
remixing several other hits for artists including Jodeci and Heavy D, Sean
"Puffy" Combs is fired from Uptown after a dispute with label head
Andre Harrell.

- Eric B.
& Rakim release their fourth album, 'Don't Sweat the Technique'. The
album is critically acclaimed, but the duo split almost immediately
after its release. Eric B continues to produce for other rappers,
(with mixed results), while Rakim, arguably the most celebrated MC in
rap at this point in time goes into seclusion.

- After
the acquittal of the officers accused of beating Rodney King, South
Central Los Angeles erupts in violent street riots. After the two-day
mayhem, rappers including Ice-T and Chuck D of Public Enemy are called
upon to provide insight.

- Dr. Dre
and Suge Knight form a partnership and create Death Row Records. Their
first project is a song for the soundtrack to a police drama called 'Deep Cover'. The song features a previously unheard young rapper from Long Beach named
Snoop Doggy Dogg.

Comprising original album tracks, remixes, instrumentals, acapellas,
original sample material and even some interview snippets from the time
of release, this 40 minute mix takes in the high points of this
incredible album. Check out the feature on Wax Poetics here.

This remix of Ultramagnetic MCs' 'Poppa Large' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix'. As with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.
In the this instance some inspiration was taken from the likes of Diamond D and the practice of using well chosen drum loops laced with sample material from unusual sources.

Continuing with another mix documenting the music of 1992, here's a quick reminder of our own
1992 mixtape. Classics from the likes of Showbiz & AG, Gang Starr, Brand Nubian
and Diamond D alongside lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris
Read.

Moving on to 1992, we kick things off with another offering from New York's Rub DJs.

Listen to their 1992 mix on Mixcloud here or download from the Rub blog here. And to make life easier, we've now created a handy Mixcloud playlist where you can check out all the mixes from this series in one place. You can check that out on Classic Material curator Chris Read's Mixcloud page here.

For the last of our 1991 entries, we have something pretty special for you. The Herbaliser's Ollie Teeba, guest DJ at our 1991 party, went all out on the preparation and put together an amazingly comprehensive 4 hour set which he performed on the night. What's even better is that he recorded the whole thing and uploaded it to Mixcloud in seven handy sized chunks. We've added all seven parts to a convenient playlist so you can listen in one sitting or in parts as you please.

So, we arrive at the fifth of our Classic Material Bonus Tracks
giveaways. This week's edition may not be of quite as much interest to
seasoned followers since both tracks featured in this week's giveaway
have in fact been available online before, but if you've always had a
hankering for that Nice & Smooth Remix from the Diary Volume 1.5 remix album
without the ident at the beginning, then you're in luck.

This remix of Nice & Smooth's 'Hip Hop Junkies' originally
appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix' and
was subsequently featured as a bonus track on the Classic Material
Edition #5 mix CD. As with all remixes from the Diary collection, the
production style owes something to popular production styles of the day.
In the this instance I took some inspiration from the SD50s, Electra Records remixers of choice, notable for their bouncey productions liberally borrowing recognisable Jazz-Funk hooks.

As we push on with our entries for 1991, here's a quick reminder of our 1991 mixtape. Classics from the likes of Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep and Del alongside lesser known cuts. Mixed by Classic Material's Chris Read.

1991 was the year which many consider to have signaled the birth of a golden period for club friendly credible hip hop releases. Aside
from numerous memorable LP releases, 1991 was above all a year of
anthems - Tribe's 'Scenario', Nice and Smooth's 'Hip Hop Junkies',
Showbiz and AG's 'Party Groove' and many other club friendly cuts with catchy
hooks saw release during the year. 1991 was also a solid year for long
players with stand out debut LPs from Black Sheep and Main Source
amongst others. Debut LPs from Del the Funkee Homosapien and Cypress
Hill both broke preconceptions about the West Coast sound in very
different ways. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- Gilbert
O'Sullivan successfully sues rapper Biz Markie, claiming that
Biz's single 'Alone Again' uses a sample of O'Sullivan's song 'Alone
Again (Naturally)' without consent. The lawsuit signals a turning point
in hip-hop sampling, dissuading future producers from building multi-layered sound
collages out of multiple samples for fear of litigation.

- Digital
Underground follow their well received debut album with the quirkily titled 'This Is An
EP Release'. The hit single
'Same Song' features a young, lesser-known member of the crew named
Tupac Shakur.

- Ice Cube
stars in the gritty urban drama 'Boyz N the Hood', telling he tale of a group of young black men growing up in South Central Los Angeles. The film is a huge hit and spawns a legion of similarly styled movies in the following years.

- Bronx rapper Tim Dog (pictured above) releases the single 'Fuck Compton,' firing
some of the first verbal shots in a simmering feud between East Coast
and West Coast rappers.

- A Tribe
Called Quest releases their much-anticipated sophomore album 'The Low End
Theory'. Praised by critics and fans, the album is notable for its jazz-led production sealing the group's reputation as leaders of the 'new school' movement of the day.

- After
the success of A Tribe Called Quest's 'Low End Theory' and De La Soul's
sophomore effort 'De La Soul Is Dead', an alternative movement in hip hop gains momentum supported by strong debuts from Digable
Planets, Arrested Development, Del the Funkee Homosapien, the
Pharcyde, and Gang Starr.

- N.W.A.
release their second full-length album, the inflammatory and controversial 'Efil4zaggin'. In spite of widespread media criticism of the album's graphic content, the album debuts at number one
on the charts.

- Vanilla
Ice's film, 'Cool As Ice' premieres to poor reviews and even worse box
office returns. He is also criticised for fabricating his entire life
story in interviews. To add insult to injury, Ice is successfully
sued by David Bowie and Queen, who claim that he used the bassline from
their hit 'Under Pressure' for his hit single 'Ice Ice Baby'.

- A video
showing four Los Angeles police officers brutally beating a black man named
Rodney King filmed by a third party onlooker is broadcast on television news wordwide provoking outrage. The incident provokes a wave of politically charged commentary in hip hop releases shortly thereafter. The subsequent acquittal of the four officers on assault charges the following year spark the 1992 L.A. riots.

- M.C.
Hammer releases his third album, '2 Legit To Quit'. Although the
title cut is a sizeable hit, the album fails to match the success of it's predecessor as the backlash against
'pop-rap' has Hammer losing his (already limited) crediblity among rap
fans and the general public.

- Dr. Dre,
citing a dispute over finances with Eazy-E and Ruthless Records quits
N.W.A. Dre is still under contract to Ruthless and hires
gangster-turned-businessman Marion "Suge" Knight to get him out of his
deal with the record label. With Dre departing for a solo career, N.W.A.
officially split.

- Sean
Combs, still only 20 years old, is promoted to A&R at Uptown Records
and executive produces hit albums for Father MC and Heavy D.

- New York rap group Main Source release their debut LP, the critically acclaimed 'Breaking Atoms' on Wild Pitch records. Despite moderate sales, the album goes down in hip hop history as one of the greatest debut long players of all time and the single 'Live At the Bar-B-Q'
features a memorable verse by a seventeen year old Queens rapper
named Nas.

As is customary, we complete our blog entries for the year with a free download of bonus tracks. For our latest, we offer you 2 remixes and a megamix, all produced in keeping with the styles of the day.

This remix of Eric B & Rakim's 'Let The Rhythm Hit Em' originally appeared on
the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix' and
was subsequently featured as a bonus track on the Classic Material
Edition #4 mix CD. As with all remixes from the Diary collection, the production style owes something to popular production styles of the day. In the this instance I took some inspiration from early Showbiz productions, particularly with regards to the jazzy bass groove and those trademark raspy horns.

If you're following the daily updates here on the blog, then you'll no doubt be used to the formula by now: first some relevant mixtapes from friends and kindred spirits, then a reminder of our own for the relevant year. So, true to that formula, here's a reminder of our 1990 mix!

As we enter the '90s, we present another round up of the key events in rap history for the year 1990. In terms of general trends in the culture's development, 1990 is probably most celebrated as being the birth of the
'afro-centric' era, with debut albums from X-Clan, Professor X, Poor
Righteous Teachers, Tribe Called Quest and many others hitting the
stores during the year. But 1990 was also an important year for the
artists from the opposite end of the spectrum: Compton's Most Wanted,
Capital Punishment Organisation and Above The Law all released debut
albums proving LA's harder edged sound had more to offer than just NWA. Aside from new
developments, established artists including LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane,
Public Enemy and EPMD all dropped certified classics. Below is a snapshot of some of the year's key events, produced this time with the assistance of Dream Door's hip hop timeline:

- Queens-based A Tribe Called Quest (picture above) follow close stylistically in the footsteps of De La Soul's '3 Feet High And Rising' with the release of their debut album, 'People's
Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'. Building on the template
established by fellow Native Tongues crew members the Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and De
La Soul, the group is praised for it's intelligently quirky lyrics,
inventive musical style and use of unconventional sample material.

- Following an acrimonious split from NWA, Ice
Cube takes his new crew, Da Lench Mob to New York and records his solo
debut with production from Public Enemy's production team, The Bomb Squad. The album, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted," goes down in history as a classic and sets Cube on the road to solo
superstardom.

- M.C.
Hammer continues to enjoy pop-rap notoriety with two Grammy nominations, a Saturday morning cartoon, and an action figure. Despite all of his
commercial success; there is a growing backlash against his image and
music among rap fans and artists, 3rd Bass's 1989/1990 single 'The Gas Face' being a notable example of Hammer receiving a lyrical lashing from the credible underground.

- Salt-N-Pepa
release their third album, "Blacks Magic." The album receives strong reviews with the single 'Let's Talk About
Sex' both causing controversy and attracting praise for it's honest look at
relationships and promiscuity.

- After
shooting his cousin and leading police on a high-speed chase, Slick
Rick is captured and taken to prison. Def Jam head Russell Simmons bails
Rick out in time to finish his second album, 'The Ruler's Back', but
Rick is eventually sentenced to five years in prison on charges of
attempted murder.

- Will Smith aka The Fresh Prince is tapped to star in a new sitcom, dubbed 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'.

- Oakland-based
alternative rap group Digital Underground release their debut album, 'Sex Packets'. Drawing heavily on staple West Coast sample material from the Parliament / Funkadelic camp, the group are quick to capture the world's attention with rapper Shock G adopting a number of voices in his raps to create a cast of quirky characters including the hapless 'Humpty Hump'. The Album's second single, 'The Humpty Dance,' becomes a
platinum hit.

- Run DMC
release their fifth album, 'Back From Hell'. The single 'What's It All About', which samples UK indie rockers The Stone Roses' 'Fools Gold', is a moderate success, but in stark contrast to earlier releases, the album barely goes gold and the group takes a break from recording.

- 'Ice, Ice Baby'
becomes a hit for Miami-based white rapper Vanilla Ice. Though Ice is
derided as a fake, his debut album, 'To The Extreme' goes on to sell
over seven million copies.

- Popular
rapper Heavy D. convinces Andre Harrell, the president of Uptown Records
(Heavy D's label), to take on a young college student/dancer named Sean
Combs (later known as Puff Daddy / P Diddy) as an intern. Combs goes on to forge the sound of the label's further releases and play a central role in a hip hop / RnB crossover movement that will shape popular hip hop for years to come.

The last blog entry for 1989 is also the first to showcase a guest mix from one of our contributors. Strictly Kev who kindly played at our 1989 party made a live all vinyl recording of the set he prepared for the night which he aptly titled '88 was great but 89 is mine'. Kev also wrote a great blog post in which he reminisces on his favourite releases from the year, home made De La Soul t-shirts and much more besides.

We certainly weren't the only ones to put together a tribute to the Beastie Boys' 'Paul's Boutique' worthy of your time. Ninja Tune's Strictly Kev (coincidentally the guest DJ at our 1989 party) and his Solid Steel compadres DJ Cheeba and Moneyshot put together this mix entitled 'Caught In The Middle Of A Three Way' reconstructing Paul's Boutique from its constituent parts creating something of an online hit.

Read more about it on the DJ Food blog here, together with tracklist and stream links for Soundcloud and Mixcloud.

So, we finally arrive at the third of our Classic Material Bonus Tracks giveaways. This week's edition may not be of quite as much interest to seasoned followers since both tracks featured in this week's giveaway have in fact been available online before, but if you've always had a hankering for that Heavy D Remix from the Diary Volume 1.5 remix album without the ident at the beginning, then you're in luck.

It's no coincidence that the two albums that appear in positions 1 and 2 in Ego Trip's Top 25 albums of 1989 (De La Soul's '3 Feet High And Rising' and Beastie Boys' 'Paul's Boutique') are renowned for their unique take on the use of samples - both in terms of quantity and variety. It's perhaps for that reason that both albums have been so heavily celebrated over the years. Unlike De La Soul's much celebrated debut however 'Paul's Boutique' was very much the Beastie Boys' 'difficult second album'. It's a testament to the album's unique feel that it subsequently rose above it's comparatively poor sales figures and lack of mainstream media attention at the time of release to take it's place in hip hop history as one of the genre's unsung classics.

Following the untimely passing of Beastie Boys' MCA last year after a lengthy battle with cancer, tributes were understandably numerous and varied but many focused on Paul's Boutique and its famously quirky sample material. Our 'Boutique Beats' mix blends a selection of Beastie Boys favourites, acapellas and more with original sample material, largely (but not exclusively) from the Paul's Boutique LP.

The presence of De La Soul's '3 Feet High And Rising' in the number one spot in Ego Trip's Top 25 Rap Albums of 1989 gives a good opportunity to remind the world of this great mixtape released in 2009 celebrating 20 years of De La Soul. Although presented as a 'mixtape', in fact it's a collection of De La Soul classics (from 3 Feet High And Rising and subsequent albums) reworked by some of the genre's best talent, including Talib Kweli, Phife, Tanya Morgan and Camp Lo.

As we approach the last of our blog entries for 1989, we finally have an opportunity to post the first of our Classic Material remixes. This remix of Heavy D's 'We Got Our Own Thang' originally appeared on the 2009 remix compilation 'Diary 1.5: Twenty Years of the Remix' and was subsequently featured as a bonus track on the Classic Material Edition #3 mix CD.

With all the 1989 mixes we've posted on the blog over the last week or so, it's only right that we give a little reminder of our own mix. 30 or so classic and lesser heard tracks from 1989 in the mix. CD copies of this mix have long since sold out but you can listen on Mixcloud here or cop a free download (and read little more about the mix) here.

There's no shortage of mixtapes reminiscing on 1989 it seems. Friend of the Classic Material family Bobafatt (who kindly played at our 1993 party) put together this very nice mixtape aptly titled 'Who's Flat Top Ruled in '89?'.

Once again, we refer back to last summer's
product range which included a series of T-Shirts and limited edition
photograph prints produced in collaboration with central London sneaker
boutique Foot Patrol and renowned UK streetstyle photographer Normski.
This shot of MC Lyte was taken following a performance at London's Astoria club in 1989.

You can purchase this limited edition photo print embossed and signed by Normski in the Classic Material store here.

So, it's a taken a little more than a week to get to the second of our free bonus downloads, but here it is, an extract from 'The Breaks of '88' a mix of the tracks sampled in 1988's best known hip hop tracks which originally appeared in its full length version as a bonus track on our Classic Material Edition #2 CD. The full length mix will be released online in due course as part of a forthcoming Classic Material breaks mix series.

In August 1988, a new music television show went to air giving much needed exposure to hip hop music and culture in a move that would revolutionise music television for ever more. Although rap videos had made occasional appearances on the largely rock biased network in its early years, Yo! MTV Raps was the first show on US MTV to focus entirely on hip hop and its huge success paved the way for the integration of hip hop music videos into the station's regular rotation, hip hop ultimately coming to dominate the mainstream video playlist in later years. Commissioned by Ted Demme and Pete Dougherty, the content of the show was based to some extent on the MTV Europe Europe show simply named 'Yo!' hosted by Sophie Bramley which went to air approximately one year prior.

Hosted by Ed Lover & Doctor Dre with outside reports from Fab 5 Freddy, the show's mix of videos, interviews, scene reports and light hearted comedy presentation style was key to its success. The show ran until 1995 when it was rebranded simply as Yo! and continued to run under that name until 1999.

VH1 produced a great documentary on the show which tells its story and that of rap music's development on music television including some interesting commentary on how rock-rap cross over from the likes of Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys was instrumental in allowing rap music to break through the rock dominated playlisting on the early '80s.

Once again, we refer back to last summer's
product range which included a series of T-Shirts and limited edition
photograph prints produced in collaboration with central London sneaker
boutique Foot Patrol and renowned UK streetstyle photographer Normski.
This shot of Big Daddy Kane was taken during the 1988 Cold Chillin' UK Tour and shows Kane and tour crew late night shopping at 7-Eleven in West London.

You can purchase this limited edition photo print embossed and signed by Normski in the Classic Material store here.

For the second of two photos from 1987 in our range of limited edition
photograph prints produced in collaboration with central London sneaker
boutique Foot Patrol and renowned UK streetstyle photographer Normski. This portrait shot of Music of Life recording artists Demon Boyz was taken on the rail tracks at the disused Primrose Hill overground station in North London.

You can purchase this limited edition photo print embossed and signed by Normski in the Classic Material store here.

Those of you who have been following the blog and / or our CD series over the last couple of years will be aware that each of the Classic Material CDs contained a number of bonus tracks not available on the download version. With all the CDs having long since sold out from the online store and preparations underway for our season 3 range, we've decided to start a series of giveaways. Every week (or every couple of weeks depending on how quickly we can get the blog updated!), we'll be giving away at least one of those bonus tracks as a free download. So, without further ado, here's the first in our series of giveaways, the bonus track from Classic Material Edition #1:

Referring back to last summer's Classic Material product range which included a series
of T-Shirts and limited edition photograph prints produced in
collaboration with central London sneaker boutique Foot Patrol and renowned UK streetstyle photographer Normski, this shot of Public Enemy's Flavor Flav was taken as Flavor made his way to shoot a cameo appearance in the video for UK DJ Simon Harris' house hit 'Bass, How Low Can You Go', the title of which refers to a sample taken from Public Enemy's 'Bring The Noise'.

You can purchase this limited edition photo print embossed and signed by Normski in the Classic Material store here.

Originally issued as a bonus feature on the Classic Material Edition #1 Part 2 CD and subsequently made available online in conjunction with the now defunct Spine Magazine some months later, now seems an appropriate time to post a little reminder of our 80s Electro Bonus Mix.

So, if you missed it first time round, you can listen to (and check out the tracklist of) this 40 minute journey through mid 80s Electro and Drum Machine Rap on Mixcloud here or grab yourself a free download from our mixes page.

As we continue through our posts for 1987, it seems appropriate to post a little reminder of another of our Classic Material mixes. This mix is the second of our two part Edition #1, covering music from the year 1984-1987, with some bias toward the more sample based material from the later part of that period.

You can get yourself a listen (and check out the tracklist) on Mixcloud here or grab yourself a free download from our mixes page. Physical copies of this CD are now sold out but there are other Classic Material goodies available from our online store.

To round off our entries for 1986, we refer back to last summer's product range which included a series of T-Shirts and limited edition photograph prints produced in collaboration with central London sneaker boutique Foot Patrol and renowned UK streetstyle photographer Normski. This shot of Jive recording artist Kool Moe Dee was taken at Battery Studios in Willesden, London in 1986 during Kool Moe Dee's UK tour.

You can purchase this limited edition photo print embossed and signed by Normski in the Classic Material store here.

1986 marked the starting point of what might be described as the
second of Hip Hop's major battles to be played out on wax, the so-called
'Bridge Wars', a lyrical battle waged between the crews of New York's
South Bronx and Queensbridge projects (from which the battle takes its
name). The battle centers around claims over hip hop's origins in New
York, crews from the New York boroughs of the Bronx and Queens each
stepping to the mic in a series of releases to defend the honour of
their neighbourhood.

In truth it was the release of Marley Marl
& MC Shan's 'The Bridge' in 1985 that sparked the feud, but it was
not until the South Bronx's Boogie Down Productions (pictured above)
launched an attack on the Queens duo with their retort entitled simply
'South Bronx' in 1986 that the battle was born. Accounts of the intent
of these initial records vary but the salient facts are that the Bronx
crew understood the lyrics contained in 'The Bridge' ("You love to hear the story, again and again, of how it all got started way back when, the monument is right in your face, sit and listen for a while to the name of the place, the Bridge, Queensbridge") to
be a claim that Hip-Hop had its origins in Queensbridge. MC Shan has
since gone on record as saying that was not his intent and that the
record was simply intended as a celebration of the early days of Hip-Hop
in Queens. Whether the perceived attack was intentional or not, a
battle had been born and with the release of BDP's 'South Bronx' that
battle took on a hostile tone as the lyrics demonstrate: "So you think that hip-hop had its start out in Queensbridge, if you popped that junk up in the Bronx you might not live."

Whilst
BDP's response was viewed at the time as an attempt to defend the Bronx
as rightful owner of it's claim to be Hip Hop's birthplace, subsequent
interviews with BDP's KRS-One suggest there was more to the feud than
met the eye. Prior to the release of 'The Bridge', KRS-One had approached Queens' Juice Crew affiliate Mr Magic, seeking interest in his group '12:41' (an earlier incarnation of BDP of which Scott La Rock was also a member). Magic had rejected the track causing some resentment between the two camps. Although arguably the original source of the feud, the absence of Magic's approval did not prevent the group from forging a career and in the same year they released the single 'Succe$ i$ the Word' on Fresh Records.

1987 saw the battle escalate with Shan and Marley Marl responding with the track 'Kill That Noise' appearing on Shan's 'Down By Law' LP, but the track was soon eclipsed by BDP's lyrically bold 'The Bridge Is Over'. Although arguably the strongest lyrical blow in the series of releases, the battle continued with Juice Crew member Roxanne Shante (also centrally involved in the Roxanne Wars) taking a shot at KRS-One in her track 'Have A Nice Day', ghostwritten by fellow Juice Crew member Big Daddy Kane. Shan's 'Juice Crew Law' contained similar sentiment.

As with the Roxanne Wars, the popularity of the battle records prompted a number of artists not directly involved to step up and give their take on events. Philadelphia's Cool C weighed in with 'Juice Crew Dis' and Queens MC Butchy B responded in his track 'Go Magic' / 'Beatin Down KRS', the former a promo cut for Queensbridge DJ Mr Magic. Queens duo DJ Rockwell Noel and the Poet further contributed to the feud with "Taking U Out'. The heat of the battle had certainly subsided by 1988 but that didn't prevent BDP's KRS-One making reference to it in both 1988's 'My Philosophy' and 1990's 'Blackman In Effect'. Into the '90s vague references were made by a number of artists but the battle was in essence over. Putting matters beyond doubt was the release of the 2007 collaboration album between KRS-One and former Juice Crew producer Marley Marl entitled 'Hip-Hop Lives', officially putting the feud to bed and celebrating the legacy of one of Hip-Hop's most important battles played out on wax.

Replacing our usual 'notable releases' section which appeared in the
earlier sections of the blog, we give you a snapshot of 1986's best
loved single releases by borrowing a top 40 list from the rap nerd's
bible that is Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists:

Picking up where we left off before a brief hiatus for our latest product launch, we move on to the music of 1986. We kick off our 1986 coverage with a mix from Berlin's Rap History crew, this time a one hour mix from Andre Langenfeld and DJ Scientist.

A massive thank you to Jonny Griffiths for putting together this great VIDEO of the launch party we held last week for the Classic Material x Normski x Foot Patrol t-shirt collection. Thanks also to our DMC champ DJs Mr Thing and Matman for moving the crowd, our sponsor Red Stripe beer and everyone who came down, supported, bought t-shirts, partied and generally made it a night to remember!

We are pleased to release details of our latest project, a capsule range of 6 limited edition t-shirts in collaboration with UK streetstyle icon Normski and central London sneaker boutique Foot Patrol. Details on our launch event and availability coming later this week. Watch this space!

Released in 1984, UTFO's 'Roxanne Roxanne', a song launching a verbal attack upon a fictional character who refused the advances of the group, was a surprise hit thanks largely to its frequent airplay on New York radio. In fact the b-side of UTFO's single 'Hanging Out', the track triumphed over its a-side counterpart in popularity and unwittingly started one of hip hop's first (and arguably most famous) battles to be played out on wax. Over the following year literally dozens of records would be released in what became known as the 'Roxanne Wars'.

'Roxanne Roxanne' may have been limited to a hip hop footnote however were it not for Juice Crew affiliate Roxanne Shante (pictured) siezing the opportunity to capitalise on the popularity of UTFO's original song with the Marley Marl produced 'Roxanne's Revenge'. Roxanne's original profanity laden response was an instant hit. Rumoured to have sold of 250,000 copies in the New York area alone, the track used the instrumental version of UTFO's original track as its backing. Following legal action from UTFO's record label, the track was eventually re-released in early 1985 with a new Marley Marl produced instrumental replacing the original and profanities toned down.

Not prepared to let Shante have the last word on the matter, a third record in the series, UTFO and Full Force's 'The Real Roxanne' was released later that year in response to Shante's track. The role of the 'Real Roxanne' on the record was played by relative unknown Elease Jack although female rapper Adelaia Martinez later took on the moniker and enjoyed a successful recording career using the name including, most notably, the 1986 Howie Tee produced hit 'Bang Zoom Let's Go'.

What happened next, however could not have been predicted. Estimates vary, but over the following year anywhere between 30 and 100 follow up records were released by artists in most cases unconnected with the original call and response giving their stance on the Roxanne story or alternative fictional tales of Roxanne's exploits. Some of the more notable releases are listed below:

Replacing our usual 'notable releases' section which appeared in the earlier sections of the blog, we give you a snapshot of 1985's best loved single releases by borrowing a top 40 list from the rap nerd's bible that is Ego Trip's book of Rap Lists:

So far in the our chronology, we've posted a list of 'Notable Releases' for each year from 1979 through to 1983, which has been as complete a record of the releases for that year as we have been able to compile. As we hit the mid 80s the number of hip hop releases in any given year has grown to a size that makes that impractical so we're going slim the annual list down to a "best of" and borrow from a reliable source, Ego Trip's good old Book of Rap Lists. Here's their top 40 rap singles of 1984:

- Released in the same year was the more commercially orientated 'Breakin' (re-titled 'Breakdance the Movie' in the UK), a more Hollywood take on the breakdance phenomenon featuring an all West Coast line up which included breakers such as Boogaloo Shrimp and Poppin' Pete plus a young Ice T who appears performing in the night club scene alongside West Coast Electro DJ Chris 'The Glove' Taylor. (Screenshot from the movie above)

- Both 'Beat Street' and 'Breakin' prompted world tours featuring the cast and dancers from the films, culminating in a breakdance battle featuring members of both tours at a Paris nightclub.

- Although Chalfant and Cooper's book is often credited as the first book to investigate the phenomenon of New York subway graffiti, earlier the same year Craig Castleman's book "Getting Up" documented the inside story of the lives and activities of New York's graffiti artists through a series of candid interviews.

- Run DMC release their self titled debut LP on the Profile label ushering in a new harder edged sound in contrast to the disco rap sound popularised by artists such as Kurtis Blow who released his 'Ego Trip' LP the same year.

- UTFO released the controversial single 'Roxanne, Roxanne' prompting a response from Juice Crew affiliate Roxanne Shante in the form of her 1984 single 'Roxanne's Revenge'.

- Dancers Boogaloo Shrimp, Shabadoo and Pop 'n' Taco appeared in the video for Chaka Khan's hit single "I Feel For You".

Whilst seeking out the 1984 mix from the Rap History series, I stumbled on this great mix of West Coast Electro / Electro Rap from the year 1984 put together a year or so ago by Stuttgart's DJ Friction. It's a very nicely executed mix that covers a side of the music from that year not really tocuhed on by the Rap History or Rub mixes.

So, as we complete the entries for 1983, it's only right that we give you a quick reminder of the first of our Classic Material mixtapes before moving on to the events of 1984. With a cover graphic inspired by arguably the most influential label of hip hop's disco era, Sugarhill Records, the mix covers a selection of disco rap's better known cuts plus a few of the lesser heard for good measure.

This great poster has just been released by Diggers With Gratitude. Limited to just 100 copies and perfectly in keeping with our recent activities, it's a must have item for anybody with a penchant for clean design and old school rap nerdery.

Selection of club flyers from 1983 designed by Buddy Esquire, "King of the Flyer". I particularly like the Pac Jam Record Co flyer "celebrating 10 years of hip hop", which gives some indication of just how long New York had a coherent hip hop scene before the first hip hop records were released in 1979.

Produced with some assistance from Mr Wiggles of the Rock Steady Crew's 'Hip Hop Timeline', here is a round up of some of the significant hip hop related events of 1983:

- Revered jazz musician Herbie Hancock (pictured above) drafts in the DJ skills of Grandmixer DST to perform scratches on his hit single 'Rockit' taken from the album 'Future Shock'.

- DJ Afirka Islam, son of hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa starts his own hip hop radio show on New York's WHBI. The same year Afrika Islam wins the New Music Seminar DJ battle in Los Angeles.

- Hip Hop documentary Style Wars is aired on PBS in the USA. The film featured appearances from genuine figures from graffiti underground of the day including Mare 149, Skeme and Seen.

- Hip Hop spreads its influence further on the international stage with the 'Wild Style' tour taking the Cold Crush Four and Rock Steady Crew to Japan.

- Rock Steady Crew appear in the hit movie Flash Dance.

- Rock Steady Crew also appear in the video for Malcolm Mclaren's Buffalo Gals single taken from the 1983 album 'Duck Rock'.

- B-Boy crews also appeared in music videos for artists outside the hip hop fraterntity. The New York City Breakers appeared in the video for Gladys Knight and the Pips' 'Save the Overtime for Me'

- New York punk band the Beastie Boys release the first of their records to experiment with new recording technology and the hip hop sound. The A-side 'Cookie Puss' placed scratching and recorded phone calls over drum machine programming.

Yes, that's right, another 1983 Rap History mixtape. This time, we have a great mix put together by Jazzanova's Roscow and DJ Runex, tocuhing on boogie rap classics and a few related 80s soul joints from the likes of Mtume. Tastefully mixed in a style which, in their own words, pays tribute to the Latin Rascals.

Well, the Classic Material sale is now over and we are in full swing
preparing for our new range in collaboration with Foot Patrol to be
released this summer. In the meantime, however, we’re pleased to offer
the last few tees in two of our most popular designs at the reduced
price of £15. Limited sizes remain in very limited quantities so don’t sleep!

Grab an Edition #5 or Edition #6 t-shirt for just £15 plus postage from the online store here.

Just a quick reminder that there is just one week left of our 25% Spring Sale. All items except photography prints are reduced by 25% until the end of February. That brings box sets down to £24, t-shirts to £18 and CDs to just £5. Take advantage while the deals remain by visiting www.classicmaterial.co.uk/shop (online store tab above).

All good things must come to an end and the Classic Material exhibition at City Arts and Music Project is no exception. This week will be the final week that the exhibition is on display, so if you've not yet had a chance to check it out, take yourself along to the City Arts and Music Project for a look while you still have the chance. The work will be taken down on 28th of February so we're extending an open invite to friends and anyone else who would like to come along to pop in for a beer or two on the evening of Monday 27th to say goodbye to the exhibit and also offer a few bargains on Classic Material products as a thanks for everyone's support. Hope to see you there...

A week or so ago Classic Material's Chris Read was fortunate enough to have been interviewed by
renowned hip hop / funk / soul journalist and author Oliver Wang for his
excellent Soul Sides website. If the name Oliver Wang is not familiar
to you, then get familiar: he counts amongst his achievements material
written for almost every major stateside hip hop publication (amongst
them The Source, XXL, Vibe, Scratch and so on), is author of the aptly
titled ‘Classic Material’ hip hop album guide and oversees the Soul
Sides compilation series (cover art above). Oliver currently writes for
publications including the LA Times and Wax Poetics not to mention being
a doctor of ethnic studies and assistant professor of sociology at
California State University.

Recent guests also to appear on Oliver’s ‘Side Bar’ podcast series include heavyweights such as PUTS’ Thes One, Quantic and soul legend Mike James Kirkland so we are pleased for Chris to be in such great company.

First up we’re pleased to announce that the Classic Material exhibition at the City Arts and Music Project has been extended into February so if you’ve not been down to check out the work yet, there’s still plenty of time.

We’re also very pleased to let you know that more of the work is now
available to purchase online. Five prints by legendary UK street style
photographer Normski are now available to purchase from the Classic Material online store.
There are five prints in total, each printed on 200gsm matt stock,
signed by the artist and embossed. Prints are priced at £50 each.

More about Normski:

Normski exploded onto the public stage in the early 90s as presenter
of BBC2’s groundbreaking Def 2 and Dance Energy shows, broadcasting the
under-represented elements of the UK’s dance music culture and black
music as whole to a new audience.

For many years prior Normski had been documenting the rise of hip hop
culture in the UK and UK club culture through photography. As a key
figure on the UK’s early hip hop scene, Normski enjoyed unparalled
access to rising stars of the home grown scene and touring acts from the
US who appear in his own particular brand of portrait photography. Well
known subjects appearing in Normski’s work include the likes of Big
Daddy Kane, Biz Markie and Public Enemy. In recent years, Normski’s
photographic works have experienced a renaissance with high profile
exhibitions at venues across the UK.

With about three weeks of the Classic Material exhibition left to run, it’s about time we let those of you unable to attend how you can get your hands on the work on show. One of our three exhibitors, Mr Krum, has set up an online store ‘Cold Rock Stuff’ where you can purchase each of the 4 prints on display in the show for the very reasonable price of £45, or a set of five (which includes a bonus print unavailable elsewhere) for the all in price of £150.

Vinyl Veteran Mr Krum combines an in depth knowledge of music history with a passion for vinyl and the skills of seasoned designer to produce original works which draw influence from a variety of sources. Having recently applied his skills to record sleeve cover art for artists including DJ Format, The Simonsound and Soundsci, his work is currently in demand: Forthcoming releases for which Mr Krum has been enlisted to provide artwork include numerous members of New York’s hip hop underground royalty, amongst them the likes of Grap Luva, DJ Spinna feat Oxygen and Lord Finesse.

Mr Krum is exhibiting a collection of four 12″ x 12″ prints which combine a vinyl cover art aesthetic, obscure musical references and an irreverent sense of humour.

We interupt our somewhat eratic series of chronological blog posts to give you some information on the exhibition we currently have in residence at the City Arts and Music Project (70-74 City Road, London). Marking the end of our 14 month series of club night events, the exhibition curated by Chris Read and Nick Armitage displays the work of Classic Material designer John Brotherhood alongside a collection of 80s and 90s hip hop photography from UK street style icon Normski and the irreverant hip hop inspired design work of Mr Krum.

All work on display is for sale and priced at between £20 and £100 including limited edition prints and one offs. More information on the artists:

NORMSKI:Normski exploded onto the public stage in the early 90s as presenter of BBC2’s groundbreaking Def 2 and Dance Energy shows, broadcasting the under-represented elements of the UK’s dance music culture and black music as whole to a new audience.

For many years prior Normski had been documenting the rise of hip hop culture in the UK and UK club culture through photography. As a key figure on the UK’s early hip hop scene, Normski enjoyed unparalled access to rising stars of the home grown scene and touring acts from the US who appear in his own particular brand of portrait photography. Well known subjects appearing in Normski’s work include the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie and Public Enemy. In recent years, Normski’s photographic works have experienced a renaissance with high profile exhibitions at venues across the UK.

Normski will be exhibiting a selection of his photographs dating from the late 80s and early 90s displayed on a variety of media alongside a collection of 5 limited edition prints.

JOHN BROTHERHOOD:As a member of the WeLikeOurJob team, John Brotherhood is the man behind the majority of design work for Chris Read’s Music of Substance club night, website and mixtapes. With a shared passion for the design elements of hip hop’s history, John was a natural choice as Classic Material’s in house designer. Currently responsible for the runnings of London’s Foot Patrol sneaker emporium, John continues to be active as a deisgner.

John will be exhibiting a collection of 14 designs produced for the Classic Material series, each comprising a logo associated with a popular underground record label active during a year or era covered by one of the Classic Material events.

MR KRUM:Vinyl Veteran Mr Krum combines an in depth knowledge of music history with a passion for vinyl and the skills of seasoned designer to produce original works which draw influence from a variety of sources. Having recently applied his skills to record sleeve cover art for artists including DJ Format, The Simonsound and Soundsci, his work is currently in demand: Forthcoming releases for which Mr Krum has been enlisted to provide artwork include numerous members of New York’s hip hop underground royalty, amongst them the likes of Grap Luva, DJ Spinna feat Oxygen and Lord Finesse.

Mr Krum will exhibiting a collection of four 12″ x 12″ prints which combine a vinyl cover art aesthetic, obscure musical references and an irreverent sense of humour.

So, a few years into documenting hip hop's early years here on the Classic Material blog, it came to my attention that New York's Rub DJs have just uploaded their Hip Hop History series onto Brooklyn Radio's Mixcloud page so we thought we would do a little catch up and bring ourselves up to date with the first four editions. Links for each appear below and further editions in the chronology will appear as we progress through the years (although if you want to go off and do a bit of exploring yourself the later editions are not hard to find).

I have to confess that, despite best intentions to keep the blog part of this site up to date with events we've been promoting, it's been a struggle to find the time. But, with an exhibition on the horizon (more details coming soon) and projects for next year looming I'm going to do my best to pu that right. So, I'm picking things up where I left off some months back and moving on to the events of 1982. Produced with some assistance from Mr Wiggles of the Rock Steady Crew's 'Hip Hop Timeline', here is a round up of some of the significant hip hop related events of 1982:

- US Television network ABC's '20/20' show produces an episode that investigates the new cultural phenomenon becoming known as 'hip hop' featuring Afrika Bambaataa (pictured above)

- New York's 'Roxy Roller Rink' on 18th Street becomes known as one of the greatest hip hop clubs of all time under the management of Kool Lady Blue, providing a place where the downtown club crowds mix with local punk scene.

- The first overseas issue of Print Magazine features New York graffiti artist Lee on its front cover and a includes a spread containing the photographs of Henry Chalfant of Subway Art fame showcasing the art of Dondi, Duro, Shy 147, Daze, Zephyr and Haze.

- Rock Steady Crew performs at the famous 'Studio 54' night club for the famed artist 'Antonio Lopez'.

Moving on to 1982, we kick things off again with a mix from Berlin's Rap History crew. This installment has been put together by the club's resident DJs, Marc Hype, Scientist and Dejoe. Check out the mix on Mixcloud.

Whilst looking for something else the other day, I stumbled on an excellent article written by Kirk Degiorgio on the hip hop output of Bobby Robinson's Enjoy Records label from 1979 to 1981. The article, which gives an overview of each of the labels 12 inch releases during those years is reproduced in its entirety below, but if you would like to read it from Kirk's blog complete with label scans for each release, you can do so here.

FUNKY FOUR PLUS ONE MORE - RAPPIN AND ROCKING THE HOUSE

Enjoy #6000 featured the North Bronx rap crew Funky Four Plus One More (Keith Keith, KK Rockwell, Lil' Rodney C, Jazzy Jeff and female rapper Sha-Rock). The crew were also known as Bros. Disco - running a well-respected sound system named the Mighty Mighty Sasquatch fronted by DJ Breakout and DJ Baron. It's a well known fact that the Sugar Hill Gang were hastily put together specifically by Sylvia Robinson to record "Rapper's Delight" - they were not an established rap crew. "Rappin' and Rocking The House" along with The Younger Generation's "We Rap More Mellow" is therefore one of rap's first authentic releases by a rap crew out in the field - running through routines they had performed on the Bronx block party scene. Drummer Erol "Pumpkin" Bedward (pictured above) and friends provided a typically funky backing track that ran for more than 16 minutes on the A-side.

GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE - SUPERAPPIN'

Enjoy #6001 saw the second appearance of The Younger Generation on vinyl - this time under their regular name Furious Five, alongside their legendary Bronx DJ Grandmaster Flash. The uncredited Enjoy house band lay down another lengthy backing track - with the rhythm guitar playing the bass-lick from B-Boy classic "Seven Minutes Of Funk" - no doubt a Grandmaster Flash favourite. The Furious Five - Cowboy, Mr. Ness, Rahiem, Kid Creole and Melle Mel - go through their quick-fire routines and make this one of early rap's most solid releases.

SPOONIE GEE AND THE TREACHEROUS THREE - LOVE RAP

Enjoy ER-6002 was the label's first release of 1980. A double-A sided release "New Rap Language" b/w "Love Rap", it featured both early rap pioneer Spoonie Gee - nephew of label owner Bobby Robinson - and the rap crew Treacherous Three (Special K, LA Sunshine and Kool Moe Dee). Again, this release has gone down as one of early rap's most solid examples - especially the "speed-rapping" style displayed on "New Rap Language" which took rap skills to a new level and elevated the importance of "flow". Pumpkin & Friends are once again credited, along with conga player Pooche Costello. The Spoonie Gee showcase "Love Rap" backed primarily by drums and percussion alone.

KOOL KYLE THE STARCHILD AND THE DISCO DOLLS - DO YOU LIKE THAT FUNKY BEAT

There is a gap in the catalog until Enjoy ER-6006, "Do You Like That Funky Beat", by Kool Kyle The Starchild. Also credited are female backing vocalists the Disco Dolls and Ronnie Ron & Crew - presumably the backing musicians. This release has a significantly bigger, more sophisticated production sound - less 'raw' than the previous Enjoy releases, including the female sung chorus chant and disco syn-drums. The rapper Kool Kyle Brinson was originally part of an expanded Furious Seven with Grandmaster Flash and later released tracks on Frills and Profile Records.

THE TRACHEROUS THREE - THE BODY ROCK

Enjoy ER-6007 saw the return of The Treacherous Three with another purist rap track - this time Pumpkin credited alongside Damond and Jeff, laying down a slower slice of funk for their tight routines.

THE TREACHEROUS THREE - AT THE PARTY

Enjoy ER-6008, possibly cut at the same session as ER-6007 features an identical line up - this time augmented by female party effects and a lead synth line hinting at the opening melody of B-Boy classic "Daisy Lady" by 7th Wonder.

THE DISCO FOUR - MOVE TO THE GROOVE

ER-6009 and ER-6011 were 7 inch and 12 inch alternative edits of the Furious Five's "Superrappin'", possibly released after the outfit had moved to Sylvia Robinson's Sugar Hill label. Sandwiched in between was ER-6010 "Move To The Groove" by The Disco Four - Mr Troy, Country, Kool Gee and Ronnie D plus Harmony - another solid group rap backed with a funky rhythm track and party effects.

DOCTOR ICE - CALLING DOCTOR ICE

ER-6012 was Enjoy's first release of 1981 - a decent release with an original backing track, licensed by Virgin for the UK Rap Tracks compilation.

THE TRACHEROUS THREE - FEEL THE HEARTBEAT

ER-6013 was a rap version of the Taana Gardner hit on West End Records "Heartbeat" - which used a cover version with party effects as its backing track. "Heartbeat" is acknowledged in the intro and Kenton Nix - it's original writer - is label credited.

KOOL KYLE - IT'S ROCKIN TIME

ER-6014 was Kool Kyle's follow-up to "Do You Like That Funky Beat". Pumpkin & Friends cook-up a backing groove based loosely on "Is It In" by Jimmy Bo Horne.

THE DISCO FOUR - DO IT DO IT / THE TREACHEROUS THREE - PUT THE BOOGIE IN YOUR BODY

ER-6015 & 6016 were 7 edits of earlier releases. ER-6017 and ER-6018 were both licensed by Virgin UK for the Rap Tracks compilation - solid releases by Disco Four and The Treacherous Three. "Do It, Do It" featured great brass hooks and quick-fire rap routines. "Put Your Boogie In Your Body" is a rap over a fierce slice of boogie with a keyboard bass-line and horn line echoing Parliament's P. Funk classic "Flash Light". These were the final rap releases of 1981 from the Enjoy label before they expanded into more R&B material and entered the electro era.

So, we move on to the events of 1981, produced with some assistance from Mr Wiggles of the Rock Steady Crew's 'Hip Hop Timeline', here is a round up of some of the significant hip hop related events of 1981:

- Punk / Rock group Blondie release “Rapture”, a track on which singer Debbie Harry raps, name-checking members of the New York hip hop community Fab 5 Freddy and Grand Master Flash (pictured above). Grandmaster Flash goes on to sample the record in his “Adventures of Flash on the Wheels of Steel”.

- Later the same year Grand Master Flash releases the seminal “Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel”, the first DJ led record of its kind.

- Funky Four plus One make their first national TV appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live

Sometimes, one year specific mix just isn't enough, and that's why Rap History Berlin's counterparts in Munich have added to the Rap History series with their own selection of mixtapes. Rap History Munich's Florian Keller has put together a solid selection 1981 disco rap, which you can check out on Mixcloud.

So, we move on to the goings on of 1981. This time round we kick things off with Rap History Berlin's latest mix, a rundown of rap and related funk from 1981. This edition is mixed by the Rap History residents, Scientist and Dejoe. Check out the mix on Mixcloud.

Another edition of Rap History Berlin's mixtape series, this time focussing on the output of 1980 and mixed by former ITF champion Marc Hype and Andre Langenfeld. The mix takes in disco flavoured rap cuts from the likes of The Sequence, Super 3, Tanya Winley, Jazzy Three and many more - well worth an hour of your time! Check out the mix on Mixcloud.

So, moving on to the events of 1980, produced with some assistance from Mr Wiggles of the Rock Steady Crew's 'Hip Hop Timeline', here is a round up of some of the significant hip hop related events of 1980:

- The number of commercially released rap records explodes with release statistics dwarfing those of 1979.

- The phenomenon of the rap album starts to take hold with long players from Blowfly, The Sequence and Kurtis Blow (pictured above) hitting the stores. (The Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Sugarhill’ was the only rap long player of 1979).

- Seen paints the famous “Hand of Doom” top to bottom whole car and Dondi paints “The Children of the Grave” top to bottom whole car, both later featured in the centre spread section of Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant’s seminal “Subway Art”, the first commercially available book to document graffiti art and culture. Dondi died of an AIDS related illness in 1998. The Dondi White Foundation, founded after his death, uses contributions made in Dondi's memory to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.

- Fab 5 Freddy paints the pop-art influenced “Campbell’s Soup Cans” (as featured heavily in the work of Andy Warhol) top to bottom on the IRT line.

- Zapp releases the West Coast funk classic “More Bounce to the Ounce”, accepted by the West Coast poppers as a dance anthem and later heavily sampled in late 80s / early 90s hip hop.

- The New York Post reports the arrest of the High Times crew for B Boying in Washington Heights train station.

- Poppin Pete appears in the first music video to feature a break style dancer, Talking Heads' 'Crosseyed and Painless'.

It’s not unusual for someone to say to me in conversation “yeah, a lot of old hip hop was great, but it’s all so commercial these days”. It's an understandable thing to say, but the truth is I'd rather tell the person why I think they're wrong than politely nod and agree (which, being the easy option, I tend to do). I say that not so much because there is a wealth of creative and forward thinking hip hop still being released (although that is true), but more importantly because commercialism has been a fairly major aspect of hip hop more or less since the genre’s birth.

It’s not insignificant that hip hop’s first major hit, 1979’s “Rapper’s Delight” was performed by a group that was not, as some may have assumed at the time, a fixture of New York’s hip hop underground, but a group brought together by Sugarhill Records mastermind, Sylvia Robinson.

Sylvia Robinson (pictured above alongside Mickey Baker performing as 50s / 60s RnB duo “Mickey and Sylvia”), had experienced some success as a recording artist releasing the Bo Diddley penned hit “Love Is Strange” in 1957. Sylvia made her first moves into the publishing side of music in the late 60s, forming “All Platinum Records” with husband Joe Robinson in 1968.

Sylvia went on to have further success as a solo artist into the 70s, releasing the 1973 proto-disco cut “Pillow Talk”, a track originally written for but rejected by Al Green. With experience as both artist and publisher and a feel for what constituted a commercially viable club record, Sylvia was well placed to cash in on hip hop’s growing popularity and form the group that would have hip hop’s first hit, The Sugarhill Gang.

The rap phenomenon was quick to be adopted by mainstream culture with successful pop acts such as Blondie incorporating rap into their music as early as 1981. Throughout the 80s respected underground acts flirted with the more commercially accessible aspects of hip hop; LL Cool J attracted criticism from many of his peers following the release of his 1987 'love-rap' hit 'I Need Love' although many artists included similarly styled tracks on their albums in subsequent years. Other artists looked to the club for commercial success with the hip hop / house music hybrid of 'hip house' starting to make an appearance on albums from credible artists including EPMDand Craig G in the late 80s.

Over the years that followed, commercialism in hip hop has taken on a number of different guises. In the late 80s and early 90s ‘pop rap’ acts such as Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer would appear in stark contrast to the genre’s more hardcore proponents, who largely dismissed their output as not truly constituting hip hop at all. It would be easy to assume that commercial hip hop of the late 80s and early 90s was limited to that with a pop gloss, but there was another side to the coin. Revered underground acts of the era including NWA and Ice T clearly saw that the controversy caused by subversive political opinions and explicit depictions of violence in their lyrics could be exploited commercially. Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” is arguably the most overt example of use of negative press to raise profile and ultimately sell records that the genre has ever seen. Miami’s 2 Live Crew used graphic sexual imagery to similar effect. Ironically, the ‘Parental Advisory’ stickers introduced by the U.S. in an attempt to partially censor such content became worn on album sleeves almost as badges of honour and authenticity, and arguably helped boost sales of those releases for which the censors deemed the sticker necessary.

In the mid to late 90s, commercial hip hop took on a new face when a host of artists saw the potential for mainstream success with a hybrid of hip hop and the emerging RnB sound of the day. Building on the foundations laid by the ‘New Jack Swing’ sound of the early 90s, pioneered by producer Teddy Riley, Bad Boy Records producer Sean Puffy Combs played no small part in shaping the RnB hip hop crossover sound of the mid to late 90s. It’s not without irony that some of this emerging cross over style’s most important records were recorded by one of ‘real’ hip hop’s most revered stars, Notorious B.I.G.

Beyond the year 2000, hip hop has become well and truly established in the mainstream with a very obvious divide between musical stylings of the multi-platinum selling mainstream artists and the independent underground. Many would say that the commercial material of this era is characterised by the focus of the lyrics on wealth and success, but this is nothing new: the pursuit of wealth, cars and of course ostentatious gold jewellery were all prominent themes in many classics from the 80s underground. The defining characteristic of commercial hip hop from the last decade has been, perhaps more than anything else, the production style, with a well produced studio sound and glossy finish being the staple of many mainstream hits that might otherwise have been relatively underground records, artists such as 50 Cent and Dr Dre being obvious examples.

As we enter a new decade, hip hop continues to splinter in countless directions with new sub-genres of both commercial and undergound sounds emerging all the time. Many artists have enjoyed commercial success with uncompromising albums, Common and Cee-Lo being good examples. Many artists pursuing a traditionally commercial sound remain unsigned. One thing is certain though; commercialism remains somewhere in the mix.

If there were ever a time when it could be said that hip hop was created entirely without commercial concern, then those days were before the release of the first rap record in 1979, but that’s not something to lament. Were it not for Sylvia’s eye for a commercial opportunity, hip hop (commercial or otherwise) might never have lived beyond the streets of New York.

In much the same style as our Classic Material events in London, Berlin's Rap History crew have been running a monthly party documenting rap's history year by year over the last couple of years. Sharing our passion for the classic moments in rap's history we've exchanged opinions, mixes and DJ appearances over recent years. Here's a mix put together by Rap History residents DJ Scientist and Dj Dejoe for their 1979 party, which takes in notable rap, funk and disco tracks from 1979 in a pretty raw, vinyl only cut up sort of style: Listen to the mix via Mixcloud.

And for those of you who would like to dig deeper still, more impressive is former ITF Champion, Marc Hype's Rap History 'Prequel Mix', a deftly executed cut up of well known pre-rap breakbeats which formed the backbone of early rap jams and were later popularised by compilation series such as Ultimate Breaks and Beats.

So, here we are entering the fourth month of the Classic Material series and things are in full swing. Of the three events we've held to date, all have been enormously fun, musically inspiring and each has been busier and more vibrant than the last. Our product range has been a great success with all 4 CDs now sold out and early box set editions now close to sold out. One place we're yet to really get our game on though is the blog section of this site, but all that is about to change.

We had hoped to use this space not only to post updates on our own activities but also to share other bits and pieces of interest relevant to the eras celebrated at our events. To date we've not done much of that so there's a bit of catching up to do. So we're starting in the obvious place - 1979, hip hop's birth on wax. Produced with some assistance from Mr Wiggles of the Rock Steady Crew's 'Hip Hop Timeline', here is a round up of some of the hip hop related events that made 1979 a landmark year in rap history:

- Label mastermind Sylvia Robinson forms Sugarhill Records and selects the line up for the label's flagship rap act, The Sugrahill Gang. The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” becomes the first hit rap record, although there is later controversy over the source of the some of the lyrics in the song. Casanova Fly AKA Grand Master Caz (Curtis Fisher) of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers (who formed in 1978) lays claim to writing a portion of the lyrics in the song. He is generally accepted to be correct in his assertion although it has never been tested in the courts. Later the same year, The Sugarhill Gang release rap's first full length album, the self titled 'Sugarhill Gang'.

- Another of the Sugarhill label’s popular groups, “Funky Four Plus One More” is formed, consisting of KK Rockwell (Kevin Smith), Keith Keith (Keith Caesar), Lil Rodney Cee (Rodney Stone), Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Myree) and Sha Rock (Sharon Green). They later release the classic “That’s The Joint”. KK Rockwell and Rodney Cee go on to form "Double Trouble" who appear in the classic hip hop movie "Wildstyle". Sha Rock also goes on to form a new act joining two other female rappers in the group "Us Girls" who appear in the movie "Beat Street". Jazzy Jeff later has a legal battle with Jive Records over the use of his stage name following Jive's signing of Philadelphia duo "Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince".

- Mr Magic’s “Disco Showcase” on New York’s WHBI station becomes the first radio show to showcase rap music, although his "Rap Attack" show (launched in 1981) is generally credited with being the first radio show to play exclusively rap. Mr Magic died in 2009, aged 53.

- The 15 year old Mark Bode, son of revered artist Vaughn Bode, starts work at a heavy metal magazine and continues his father's work, a huge influence to many in the early graffiti scene.

- A young Crazy Legs (Robert Colon) and cousin Lenny Len battle Jimmy Dee and Jimmy Lee of the Rock Steady Crew (formed in 1977) for a chance to become members of the crew. They lose but are accepted into the crew nonetheless.